Devolution: England

Lord Richard Excerpts

Wednesday 25th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, as my noble friend Lord Tebbit said, this is about decentralisation rather than devolution to England. I would just reiterate my previous point.

[Lord Richard (Lab)]

My Lords, I thought I detected something in what the Minister said a little earlier. Can she assure the House that she meant it when she said that the Government were working towards the abolition of the Barnett formula and its replacement by one based on need? That is what she said. Did she mean it?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, in terms of devolution in England—decentralisation in England—as local authorities and groups of local authorities take on their share of public funding, Barnett will actually change in terms of its distribution.