, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Yes. Ed.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Guto.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Thank you very much. I think that's concluding my questions. I'll come on to Mike Hedges.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Thank you. The shared prosperity fund has adopted a different approach in the early sets of the allocations. Do you think that's because the UK Government has learnt the lessons from the other two and is trying to improve the processes? Or is there another…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
And does that not—? Is that not a fair way of doing it? How else would you do it?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Yes. Excellent, thank you for that. I just want to move on to explore a little bit about the funding through the UK community renewal fund and the levelling-up fund. The community renewal fund and levelling-up fund both use competitive bidding processes and…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Yes. It would be something we can pick up with Welsh Ministers, at least, so—
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Yes, okay. Mike, did you want to come in? Can we bring Mike Hedges in, please? Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Sorry, David, you carry on, and then we'll move on to a different section. But, yes, finish off with this.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Great.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Okay. Guto.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Peter, did you want to just—
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
So, that you're both starting on the same—. Both sides are arguing about the point of contention, rather than the facts behind that point of contention.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
So, based on established fact, rather than—
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
So, would it be prudent to do something that Mike has said in this committee a number of times and show your working for both sides? Because when you have committees like these that are trying to grapple with this sort of information, it's very difficult when…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Okay. In your written evidence, Ed and Guto, you outlined that there's an estimate of £841 million EU structural funding that could still be spent up until the end of 2023. Does this figure fit with the profile of the shared prosperity fund?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Yes, yes, yes.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Ed.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
David, would you agree with that assessment or—?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
You're talking about the ramping up there. Is it reasonable for remaining EU funding to be taken into account when determining the level of the shared prosperity fund, or should they be treated as two separate entities? Obviously, one is declining and one's…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Does that answer a little bit of the question that Welsh Government have suggested that the UK Government's approach to replacing EU funding means that there's going to be a shortfall of £772 million in 2024-25? Do you agree with this assessment, or is it…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Wonderful. Thank you very much to the three of you for coming this morning. We've hopefully got a three-quarter-of-an-hour session with you this morning. We'll crack on, because we've got a fair few questions to ask, as you'd imagine. I'd like to start by…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Excellent. And David.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Thank you, Guto. Ed.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 2
Here we are at the second session this morning. I'm pleased to see the witnesses who have attended. Thank you for giving us your time, and all the work that's gone in to the evidence that you have provided to us in written form. Thank you very much for your…
