Downing Street Says » Scottish Funding

» Thursday, October 11, 2007

Scottish Funding

Put that something had happened over the weekend which meant that the £8 million funding for Scottish farming was withdrawn, it was asked whether the Government would review its protocol of information sharing with the Scottish Government (as it was the Scottish National Party who highlighted the leaked document to the press), the PMS said that nothing had changed over the weekend; this was a compensation package that Hilary Benn announced for English farmers which was met out of Defra’s existing budget and therefore the issue of Barnett consequentials did not arise in this case. If there had been, or were to be, a reserve claim and the money would come from the Treasury then there would be Barnett consequentials.

Put that the draft for the Commons statement on Friday clearly set out separate funding for Scotland and Wales and that by Monday that had been removed, the PMS said that the position which was set out by Hilary Benn on Monday made it clear that this was a compensation package for England and came out of Defra’s existing budget; obviously if we were in a position where there was a reserve claim from the Treasury then there would be Barnett consequentials and the money would go to the devolved administration.

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned that the draft document had got into the hands of the press because civil servants in Scotland and England obviously still share information, the PMS said he did not want to comment on the specifics because he did not have any information as to how the document made it into the public domain. In general terms, obviously we would not condone any leaking of Government documents.

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