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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Former assembly official to lead Welsh funding inquiry | Former assembly official to lead Welsh funding inquiry |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A former clerk to the Welsh assembly will lead an inquiry into the way the devolved administration is funded. | A former clerk to the Welsh assembly will lead an inquiry into the way the devolved administration is funded. |
| Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan named Paul Silk as chairman of the commission, promised as part of the Westminster coalition deal between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. | Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan named Paul Silk as chairman of the commission, promised as part of the Westminster coalition deal between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. |
| He will be joined by representatives of the four main parties and two independent members. | He will be joined by representatives of the four main parties and two independent members. |
| Mrs Gillan said the assembly must be "more accountable". | Mrs Gillan said the assembly must be "more accountable". |
| At present the Welsh government cannot raise taxes and can only spend what it receives through an annual block grant from the Treasury. | At present the Welsh government cannot raise taxes and can only spend what it receives through an annual block grant from the Treasury. |
| Mrs Gillan said: "Following the referendum in March, the Welsh government has new powers over the devolved areas. | |
| "It is therefore only right and proper that we look at ways to make the assembly more accountable and today's announcement is the first step in taking this forward." | |
| 'Complex' | |
| Mr Silk - the assembly's clerk from 2001 to 2007 and a former clerk in the House of Commons - said: "The commission has a challenging and complex remit and I look forward to working constructively with the UK government and the Welsh government over the coming months. | |
| "I want to listen and engage with people across Wales on these important issues as we begin our work on the task in hand." | |
| He will be joined by Principality building society chairman Dyfrig John and Prof Noel Lloyd, former vice-chancellor of Aberystwyth University. | |
| The political party representatives are former Labour cabinet minister Sue Essex, the Conservatives' former assembly leader Nick Bourne, Plaid Cymru adviser Euryfl ap Gwilym and Rob Humphreys, a former president of the Welsh Lib Dems. | |
| The Labour Welsh government has asked for control of some taxes, including stamp duty. | |
| It wants powers to supplement its £14.5bn by being allowed to borrow money and has called for reform of the Barnett formula which is used in Whitehall to set the budgets of the devolved nations. Critics say it short changes Wales. | |
| But the commission will not look at borrowing powers or the Barnett formula, which are being dealt with seperately. | |
| On Monday, Welsh government Finance Minister Jane Hutt said she was making "steady progress" in talks with Westminster on funding. | |
| The commission will report next year and will submit a second report on the constitutional settlement in 2013. | |
| The second report will look at the assembly's powers and the boundary between what is devolved and not. | |
| Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said: "While it is now down to the current Welsh government to negotiate a fair funding deal for Wales in the short term, the commission must create a sustainable fiscal footing for our nation and increase the financial accountability of its democratically elected government. | |
| "It must also be bold and ambitious as it looks at which areas of government should be matters for the Welsh people." |