Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ending the Energy Company Obligation on private sector investment in home energy efficiency in Wales.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To bring energy bills down for all, the decision has been made not to continue the Energy Company Obligation when the current scheme ends.
We recognise that the decision will be unwelcome news to those working within the supply chain for these schemes. The government has instead committed to additional grant funding of £1.5bn to be directed to upgrading low-income households, benefitting those in fuel poverty. Details of this will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan.
We also intend to implement the manifesto commitment to increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much the average household in Wales is expected to save on energy bills as a result of the Budget’s Renewables Obligation measure, compared with households in England and Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At the Budget, the Chancellor announced an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills from April next year. £88 of that comes from the decision to fund 75% of the domestic Renewables Obligation from the Exchequer. The measures announced at Budget apply to the whole of Great Britain, and a household in Wales will see the same level of benefit as an equivalent household in England or Scotland that consumes the same levels of electricity and gas.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned £4.9 billion in efficiencies and savings in 2030–31 on devolved governments’ budgets.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDEL and £185m CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025. This means that the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.
The Welsh Government are free to allocate Barnett consequentials as they see fit across their devolved priorities
Where policy changes will take effect in years beyond the existing Spending Review 2025 period, the Barnett formula will apply when departmental budgets change at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of higher-than-forecast inflation and pay growth on devolved governments’ capacity to fund public sector pay settlements.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Public sector pay is a devolved responsibility. This means it is for the devolved governments to decide how to allocate the funding they receive across their areas of responsibility, including public sector pay.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to provide additional support to devolved governments for public sector pay costs.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Public sector pay is a devolved responsibility. This means it is for the devolved governments to decide how to allocate the funding they receive across their areas of responsibility, including public sector pay.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned reductions in departmental spending after 2028 on the Welsh block grant during the next Senedd term.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDEL and £185m CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025. This means that the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.
The Welsh Government are free to allocate Barnett consequentials as they see fit across their devolved priorities
Where policy changes will take effect in years beyond the existing Spending Review 2025 period, the Barnett formula will apply when departmental budgets change at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of front-loaded Barnett consequentials on the Welsh Government’s medium-term financial planning.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDEL and £185m CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025. This means that the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.
The Welsh Government are free to allocate Barnett consequentials as they see fit across their devolved priorities
Where policy changes will take effect in years beyond the existing Spending Review 2025 period, the Barnett formula will apply when departmental budgets change at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to publish a breakdown of the spending decisions in England that generated the £508 million of Barnett consequentials for Wales at the 2025 Autumn Budget.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDEL and £185m CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025. This means that the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.
The Welsh Government are free to allocate Barnett consequentials as they see fit across their devolved priorities
Where policy changes will take effect in years beyond the existing Spending Review 2025 period, the Barnett formula will apply when departmental budgets change at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the Treasury’s analysis of how far the uplifts to Welsh Government borrowing and reserve limits restore the real-terms value of those limits since they were set a decade ago.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As announced at Autumn Budget 2025 there will be a 10% increase to annual and cumulative capital borrowing limits and the Wales Reserve overall and annual drawdown limits in 2026-27 which will increase the real value of the Welsh Government’s budget management tools.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed high-value property surcharge in England will generate Barnett-related consequentials for devolved administrations.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There were no changes to UK Government DEL budgets as a result of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge so this policy did not result in Barnett consequentials.