Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) Northern Powerhouse Rail, (b) Transpennine Route Upgrade, (c) other rail schemes in the North and Midlands and (d) each element of the Integrated Rail Plan core pipeline are (i) classed as England and Wales projects and (ii) treated as such for the purposes of the Barnett formula.

The Integrated Rail Plan (November 2021) set out a provisional cost estimate of £22.6 billion (2019 prices) for the core Northern Powerhouse Rail network, including an expanded Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).

The IRP also set out cost estimates for the rest of the its core pipeline, which includes upgrades to both the Midland and East Coast Main Lines, and for other rail schemes in the North and Midlands.

Cost estimates for all of the IRP’s core pipeline continue to be developed as work on these schemes progress, and updated ranges will be included in their businesses cases as and when they are published.

The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales so spends money on this in Wales rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so. This is reflected in the application of the Barnett formula and is consistent with the funding arrangements for other policy areas reserved in Wales.

The Welsh Government are well funded to deliver all of their devolved responsibilities, receiving around 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.