, Plenary
Debate: The Final Budget 2024-25
Thank you very much. I'm very grateful to all colleagues for their contributions in the debate this afternoon. And just to, I suppose, reflect, really, that the budget has been about addressing those concerns that people tell us are most important to them…
, Plenary
Debate: The Final Budget 2024-25
In making new allocations in the final budget, we've listened to the key messages coming through in the scrutiny process. The additional allocations we are making are focused on those areas where pressures are most severe or where reductions would not have…
, Plenary
Debate: The Final Budget 2024-25
I'm pleased to open the debate on our 2024-25 final budget, the last in our three-year budget-setting process, which we started back in 2020-21. As I outlined when publishing our draft budget, this has undoubtedly been the toughest budget that we've had to…
, Plenary
Debate: Welsh Rates of Income Tax 2024-25
I'm grateful to both colleagues for their contributions to the debate today. As we move further into the Senedd term, we will obviously keep under review the vital role that WRIT plays as a partially devolved tax in Wales, although, as Mike Hedges says, we…
, Plenary
Debate: Welsh Rates of Income Tax 2024-25
Thank you for the opportunity to open this debate on the Welsh rates of income tax resolution for 2024-25. Welsh rates of income tax were introduced in April 2019, and apply to the non-savings and non-dividend element of income earned by Welsh residents…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
I think we'd have to give that some thought.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Shall we get you a note on that? I don't know if you want to—[Inaudible.]
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, the key changes since October—really, I would suggest the key announcement is the one that relates to the NHS and the additional funding to make sure that the MEG comes in on budget. And I suppose that's what I want to achieve by the whole supplementary…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, in this financial year, it is different again because one of the ways in which we were seeking to manage the pressure earlier on in the year was to ask the UK Government for that capital-to-revenue switch. So, we've made some adjustments to our plans…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
—within the organisation. It's too early to say, I think.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
It's probably too early to say at this point, because I suppose—. So, you've referred to a reduction in headcount. I suppose it would depend where that fell—
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
No.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, the reduction to the CSA MEG relates to a one-off technical accounting exercise, so there's no impact on the administration of the Welsh Government as a result of the exercise. But I will ask Sharon to provide more details on that.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
We'll have to come back to you with the details on that. We'll have some conversations with climate change colleagues, to check what the current figure is.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
So, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change has regular structured meetings with Transport for Wales to maintain that appropriate oversight. So, he will meet quarterly with the chair and the CEO to discuss performance and also discuss any future issues—I was…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
No. So, £17.9 million of that sits with the UK Government, because that's the UK Government's contribution to the city and growth deals, but it will be reprofiled into future years for when it's needed. And then the remaining £8 million is our contribution…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Yes. Those conversations are often very robust, and I think that we're able to have those often very difficult discussions because we do it from a position of trust and respect, and I think that that is really important. So, we've built up that really strong…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Yes. So, Jeremy will meet regularly with the WLGA education leads and have those discussions, and also with education portfolio leads from across Wales. And then I also have meetings with the WLGA very regularly. So, I attend the WLGA executive meeting quite…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
In my letters to local authorities, in which I set out the details of the local government settlement for the next financial year, I do state within those letters that we would expect that settlement to cover teachers' pay and those other pressures. I'm…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Within the supplementary budget, again, I think that the story of the supplementary budget, insofar as it concerns local government, is one of protecting and avoiding reductions rather than additional funding. There was nothing more that we could offer…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Much of the supplementary budget describes the activity that we undertook, which was announced in October, in relation to the in-year exercise, and I think the key thing that we did as part of that exercise was to protect the revenue support grant. We looked…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
It won't be available in this financial year, because it relates to the reprioritisation exercise, but we can get some more information from the Minister in terms of those plans, basically, and at what point they'll be delivered.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
Yes, we'll share more information on that, but I think it reflects the fact that there would be some delays in implementing plans, as well as some delays in legislation. So, it was really, as I understand it, available for release due to delays in planned…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
I think I'd just stress how important it is to recognise that the majority of funding for the mental health budget is set out under core NHS funding, and that is ring-fenced. For this year, that spend is around £774 million. It remains the area where we spend…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2023-24
We'd agreed to make the funds available for the recovery payment element of the offer from reserves, and, as you say, the cost of that was £95 million. But due to the timing of the offer, we had to consult with Audit Wales to agree the accounting treatment of…
