Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the new Oxford–Cambridge railway line is classified as an England and Wales project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so through the Barnett formula. This approach applies to investment in heavy rail by the Department for Transport, including HS2 and East-West Rail, and is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage funding for rail infrastructure spending was allocated to Wales from 2011–12 to the most recent financial year for which figures are available, relative to (1) the total rail infrastructure spending, and (2) population.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government is responsible for rail infrastructure across England and Wales. Decisions on investment in rail infrastructure are taken to ensure that the railways are funded to operate safely and efficiently and in line with the strategic goals of the government.
From 2011/12 until 2023/24, the population of Wales represented, on average, 5.26% of the total population in England and Wales. For the same period, an average of 5.03% of the total investment on the conventional rail network in England and Wales (i.e. excluding HS2) was spent on rail infrastructure in Wales.
The table below shows the percentage in each year:
| % Population of Wales | Wales route funded infrastructure |
2011/12 | 5.43% | 3.70% |
2012/13 | 5.39% | 3.76% |
2013/14 | 5.35% | 3.79% |
2014/15 | 5.31% | 3.99% |
2015/16 | 5.27% | 4.72% |
2016/17 | 5.25% | 6.29% |
2017/18 | 5.23% | 6.46% |
2018/19 | 5.21% | 6.49% |
2019/20 | 5.22% | 5.99% |
2020/21 | 5.21% | 4.66% |
2021/22 | 5.20% | 4.74% |
2022/23 | 5.20% | 5.31% |
2023/24 | 5.20% | 5.03% |