, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
But we wouldn't see any change in our budget in this year, anyway. It would be an adjustment that we would receive in the next financial year, then.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
But it won't come in during the year, because Welsh rates of income tax and the associated block grant adjustment is fixed.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
So, all local authorities are providing information, in the first instance, on their school estates, and we've got the majority of those through now and we're getting more all the time. It's our intention to both update the special RAAC page on the Welsh…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
Thank you for those questions. In relation to RAAC, in the first instance, we don't envisage there being large costs within this financial year in relation to RAAC, partly because of the limited amount that we've found on the public estate here in Wales in…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
Yes.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
So, revenues from the Welsh rate of income tax and the associated block grant adjustment are fixed for this financial year. So, there won't be any help in that sense, because that was fixed using the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast from last…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
Just to reassure you and all colleagues, I will definitely be making a statement when I'm able to. At the moment, we're still completing that work, looking at the pressure that we have within the budget and how we manage that. So, you've heard the FM saying…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
No, we are seeing severe pressures right across Government. I think that they're particularly acute within the health service at the moment. That's partly in relation to pay; it's partly due to the high energy costs within the health estate. So, it's…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
So, we're just trying to discuss who's the best person to answer. Maybe we should get the chief economist back. [Laughter.] But, I think that you see the impacts right across Government. So, I suppose it's probably easier in some ways to deal with on the…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
It, I think, depends on what our settlement is, what the forecasts are and so on. So, certainly for next year and the foreseeable future, we expect things to be remaining difficult, at least for a few years yet.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
So, those figures were based on the OBR's inflation forecast from March of this year. But actually what we do know has happened since March is that prices have been increasing at a faster rate than was expected back in March, so, actually, that gap could be…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
And on the point about the discussions with the CST, we have our regular Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee meetings. Our next one is on the twentieth of this month, and I'll be really keen to press for some greater clarity in respect of what to…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
So, we normally start our budget preparations around June for the following financial year, so we do start very early, and that's really about having internal discussions with all colleagues to identify the pressures that they're facing within their…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
It's hard to say. I think this current Government is obviously set in this routine now, so it's hard to see that changing immediately. What an incoming or different Government might do in future is hard to say.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
I'm just aware that there may be people watching who are still not clear. So, just to round off that. In terms of the budget protocol, I think that we've been doing really good work. So, your officials and Welsh Government officials identifying things that we…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
I should have said, just to round off my earlier answer, I don't think I actually said that it's the intention now to publish the draft budget on 19 December. So, just in case—
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
Yes, of course. Just last week, we heard that the UK Government intends to have an autumn statement on 22 November. You'll remember that we'd previously notified both Finance Committee and Business Committee that it was our intention to publish our budget on…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25—Pre-budget scrutiny
Yes. I'm Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, and I'll ask my officials to introduce themselves.
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I'm really grateful for those comments and also for the discussion that we had in committee this morning, recognising the importance of our devolved taxes and also Welsh rates of income tax in terms of enabling us to set our budget. I do think that the system…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I'm very grateful for the question and also for the opportunity in committee earlier on today to be able to set out some of the work that the Welsh Government is doing to try and meet that gap that we now have in our finances as a result, as you've described…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
We've been considering where spending can be delayed, deferred, reprioritised and reduced. We are working to minimise the impacts of making difficult decisions to ensure that public services continue to have the funding needed so that we do not breach our…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Non-Domestic Rating Bill
Thank you and, again, thank you to all colleagues for their contributions, and to our committees for their scrutiny work. And in the light of the previous debate, I should, I think, just recognise that the experience with this particular piece of legislation…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Non-Domestic Rating Bill
Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. I'm grateful to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, the Finance Committee, the Local Government and Housing Committee and the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee for considering and reporting on the…
, Plenary
Motion to suspend Standing Orders
Yes, I move the motion.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Diversity in Local Government - Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Great. Diolch.
