: One thing struck me about
the RCT-based letters: it was a request to draw supplementary
funding above the block grant in a devolved area, and as such could
represent a change from the Barnett formula. If we are to see that
as a template for future co-operation between Welsh Government and
UK Government, would Welsh Government consider writing a letter of
that sort, perhaps to draw capital from the shared
prosperity fundfor infrastructure projects, such as
improvements to the A55 in north Wales or even the M4 relief road
that you had promised to build? Also, Wales has an overall fiscal
deficit this year of £13.7 billion, or 19 per cent of GDP, and
we're asking UK Government for additional funding above that.
Doesn't that show the danger of always demanding more and more
powers and devolution and separation of Wales from the UK
(First Minister of
Wales): I don't draw that conclusion at all, Llywydd. I
think the case for seeking assistance from the UK Government is
simply the case for the union. The union is a mutual insurance
scheme in which we all pay in, and we're all able to draw out in
circumstances where help is needed. It's why I've always been a
supporter of the United Kingdom, because I think that system of
mutual insurance has always been in Wales's interests. It's why I
hope that the Prime Minister—who has awarded himself the title of
Minister for the Union—will see that the request that we have
made for assistance is one where he can demonstrate that the
union really does work for Wales.
