Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Despite repeated assurances from UK Government that it would respect the devolution settlements of Wales,...
Conclusion
Despite repeated assurances from UK Government that it would respect the devolution settlements of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there are considerable ambiguities about where power will lie in relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund. It is unclear whether, as a result of the provisions in the Internal Market Bill, Whitehall plans to oversee the administration of the Fund directly, or if the financial assistance powers contained within the Bill are intended to operate separately to the Fund. In either event, we believe the UK Government would be ill-advised to lose or ignore the expertise that has been built up in the devolved administration’s European Funding Offices. (Paragraph 73) Wales and the Shared Prosperity Fund: Priorities for the replacement of EU structural funding 29
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The UK Government intends to work with the Welsh Government and local communities to ensure that the UKSPF supports citizens in Wales. This includes engaging with local authorities and Devolved Administrations, as well as wider public and private sector organisations. We will also work closely with the Welsh Government on how best to use the additional funding to prepare for the introduction of the UKSPF. The Government will set out further details on the additional funding for 2021–2022 in a prospectus in the New Year and on the UKSPF in a UK-wide investment framework, which will be published in the spring.