Oral Answers to Questions

Joanna Cherry Excerpts

Wednesday 25th May 2022 Commons Chamber

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

2. What recent steps the Government have taken to mitigate the impact of rising costs of living on (a) households and (b) businesses in Wales.

[Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) (SNP)]

4. What recent steps the Government have taken to mitigate the impact of rising costs of living on (a) households and (b) businesses in Wales.

[Ms Anum Qaisar (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)]

10. What recent steps the Government have taken to mitigate the impact of rising costs of living on (a) households and (b) businesses in Wales.

--- Later in debate ---

[Simon Hart]

Even the Welsh Government have not made that argument to me. I think they fully recognise that the proper and fair distribution of welfare is done most effectively and cost-effectively on a UK-wide basis, but I am grateful that the hon. Gentleman has raised this issue because the money that the Scottish Government are using is available as a consequence of the Barnett formula, and the situation is the same in Wales.

[Joanna Cherry]

In relation to the cost of living crisis faced by people in Wales and across the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister told the Welsh Tory party conference that the UK Government would

“put our arms around the British people again as we did during covid”.

Based on the evidence of the Sue Gray report, they are more likely to be linking arms in a conga line. Can the Secretary of State for Wales tell me what discussions he has had with the Chancellor on an emergency Budget to help the poorest households in Wales and across the United Kingdom?

[Simon Hart]

The hon. and learned Lady rightly refers to the fact that the Chancellor may yet be making further comments about this particular issue, just as he did throughout the pandemic. For those who think that the Treasury is neither flexible nor conscious of these challenges, the fact is that there was ample evidence during the pandemic—and now, of course, during the current challenges we face—to disprove that theory. I can tell her, and everyone else in the House, that I have really regular conversations with Treasury Ministers and with the Chancellor himself about exactly these challenges.