Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on the application of the Barnett formula to agriculture funding in Wales from the 2025-26 financial year.

I regularly engage with Welsh Government ministerial colleagues. Engagement takes place at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (which is next due to meet on the 27^th of February) and bilaterally, as well as through regular correspondence, on issues relating to devolved government funding including the application of the Barnett formula.

Agriculture and fisheries funding from 2024-25 has been added to the devolved governments’ baseline funding from 2025-26 which means the funding amount will be maintained in cash terms. Funding is no longer ringfenced and the devolved governments can choose how to spend this in devolved areas. In future, the Barnett formula will apply in the normal way to agriculture and fisheries funding provided to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England.