, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
So, are we likely to use all that headroom?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Okay, fine. Thank you very much. So, can you tell us what was the balance of the Wales reserve at the end of 2021, and what you expect the balance to be at the end of this financial year?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Yes, if you wouldn't mind. Rather than read them all out, if you could let us have that, that would be great. And the £149 million adjustment to capital funding, can you clarify what that is and explain why this is included in the supplementary budget rather…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Yes, of course.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Sorry to cut across. I think it's £149 million capital adjustment this year.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Thank you very much. Could I just ask a couple more questions? The supplementary budget was published before the UK supplementary estimates were laid. Can you summarise the changes to Welsh Government funding for this financial year included in these…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
So, bearing in mind now that, obviously, effectively, you're saying you're £9 million down, what impact does that have on—? So, you're calculating for £180 million extra; now you're £9 million down. So, what have been your thoughts, and what's the process…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Thank you. Can you talk us through—? We saw a little bit in the media around the £180 million and the issues around what Westminster were saying and what the First Minister was saying, and there was a little bit of to-ing and fro-ing. Can you talk us through…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Okay, thank you very much. So, the announcement of the £330 million cost-of-living support was on 14 February, less than a week before a Plenary debate on the draft budget for 2022-23. Could you not have brought it forward so that that came into that, so that…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
You had the cost-of-living summit on 17 February. What, if any, further allocations will be made as part of that? Did anything come out of that that changed your thinking, or to make other allocations?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
So, people in homes all across Wales will be starting to see that money coming through in April, so we'll be able to see that action happening very, very soon.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
So, what are the—? When is it being paid—? When is that going to come out? So, how's that split across the two financial years?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
Wonderful. Thank you very much. Thank you for attending this morning. It's greatly appreciated. We'll crack on with some questions. I'd like to start by understanding the timing of the announcements of the funding for the cost-of-living crisis, and explore…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2021-22: Evidence session
We will move on to item 3, and item 3 this morning is evidence from the Minister. A warm welcome to you this morning. Could you please state your name and positions for the record, please? We'll start with the Minister.
, Finance Committee
Papers to note
We'll move on to item 2. We have papers to note here. Unless anybody has anything to raise, I will ask us to note those papers for the record. That's great. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
A warm welcome to you this morning. It's great to see you all here. This meeting is being broadcast live on Senedd.tv and a Record of Proceedings will be published as usual. Apart from the procedural adaptations relating to conducting meetings remotely, all…
, Finance Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting
So, in accordance with Standing Order 17.42, I propose that the committee resolves to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting. Is everyone agreed? Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Thank you all very much for being here this morning, and for responding to our questions so clearly. We're very pleased to have been able to do this in person, as Peter was saying.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Yes, it's been fascinating to listen to the answers and to go through it with colleagues, and I know Peter's been through it with two committees.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Fine. Thank you very much for that. And just a last one from me, really. I know you gave evidence I think yesterday to the Legislative, Justice and Constitution Committee, and you've been with us and you've heard some of the questioning and some of the…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Okay. Thank you very much. I've just got a couple of questions left. You told us previously that there's no uncertainty or subjectivity as to how the proposed power may be used, because the four purposes are set out in the Bill. Do you still hold the view in…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Whatever mechanism works so that it would give it enough chance to be used properly so that we've got something to test, but also to look at—. It might not be the four purposes, and then we'd think, 'Well, actually, do we need the four purposes or do we just…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Sorry, Mike, if I may, going back to what the Minister was saying there around when to review—and it may be coming across what Mike was about to say—would it be possible, or would you think it appropriate, to put into this legislation a clause that says that…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Thanks. Mike.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill: Evidence session 6
Sorry, Peter. The inverse of that is that somebody could find themselves inadvertently with a huge tax bill for something that they were completely—. They were thinking that they were working within the law, the law changes retrospectively and all of a sudden…
