Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Wales Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Glyn Davies Excerpts
Wednesday 17th June 2015

(9 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Stephen Crabb Portrait Stephen Crabb
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The hon. Gentleman risks repeating the mistakes that his colleagues made throughout the five years of the last Parliament, when they set their face against responsibility and failed to support any of the measures that we took to get on top of the national deficit. Something that they might want to learn as they review their election defeat is that people up and down the United Kingdom support financial responsibility.

Glyn Davies Portrait Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)
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12. Does the Secretary of State agree that the Welsh Government should be held more financially accountable to the Welsh taxpayer for the money they spend? Will he consider including in the anticipated Wales Bill the devolution of income tax without the unnecessary block of a referendum?

Stephen Crabb Portrait Stephen Crabb
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I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend about the need for the Welsh Government to assume greater responsibility for raising money, as well as just spending it. I hear his argument about the referendum, and other people are making similar arguments. However, if the Welsh Government are not up for the challenge of greater financial responsibility, any discussion about whether there should be a referendum is academic.