Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Roger Williams Excerpts
Tuesday 12th February 2013

(11 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Clegg Portrait The Deputy Prime Minister
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The only thing that is going to be annihilated is the argument for independence for Scotland, which is gaining no currency among the people of Scotland, because the vast majority of people in Scotland and elsewhere want to keep the United Kingdom together.

Roger Williams Portrait Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) (LD)
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2. What recent steps he has taken to devolve power away from Westminster and Whitehall.

Nick Clegg Portrait The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg)
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We are devolving power to the most appropriate level through local enterprise partnerships, local government finance reforms, giving local authorities a general power of competence, and city deals. We delivered a referendum in Wales, which resulted in the Assembly assuming primary law-making powers in all 20 devolved policy areas, and we established the Silk commission, which continues its work to review the present financial and constitutional arrangements in Wales. In addition, the UK and Scottish Governments are working together to ensure the smooth implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, which represents the greatest devolution of fiscal powers from London in 300 years.

Roger Williams Portrait Roger Williams
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I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. In its recently published and much-applauded report, the Silk commission made several recommendations, including giving the Welsh Assembly Government powers to raise taxation and so making it more accountable to the people of Wales. When will the Government introduce legislation to enable those aspirations to be achieved?

Nick Clegg Portrait The Deputy Prime Minister
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As my hon. Friend may know, we are carefully studying the recommendations in the part I report from the Silk commission. We hope to provide our considered response in spring this year, and only at that point will we be able to set out what legislative plans might flow from it. Personally, I strongly support the principle of further fiscal devolution, as reflected in the Silk commission report.