Welsh Government spending on what matters most

28 Nov 2014 02:05 PM

Finance Minister, Jane Hutt yesterday welcomed official figures which showed strong Welsh Government investment in key public services.

The Country and Regional Analysis for 2014, released by HM Treasury this morning, shows that expenditure on services in Wales in 2013/14 stood at £9,924 per head, 11 per cent higher than the UK average.

The figures also show that spending on health and Social Services per head in Wales was £120 (5 per cent) higher than in England, whilst spending on education per head in Wales was 8 per cent higher than in England.

Welcoming the figures, Jane Hutt said:

‘Whilst care needs to be taken when making direct comparisons with other parts of the UK, these figures are a useful snapshot of spending levels. The fact that we invest more than England in health & social Services and on education is a testament to the value we place on our key public services.’

‘Despite the unprecedented 10% real terms cut to our budget since 2010/11, we continue to fund the services that matter most to people of Wales.

‘However, we are ambitious for Wales and we want to do more to create modern, world class services. That is why it is vital that we get fair funding from Westminster to achieve this.

‘Whilst these figures do not include the additional £425 million I recently announced for our NHS, the fact that we already spend significantly more per head in Wales on health and social services demonstrates our commitment to providing the best care for patients in Wales.’

‘As a result of our spending priorities, we are delivering a genuinely integrated health service that puts patients first. Our decision to continue investing in social services, rather than make England-style cuts, has made a significant difference to how people receive care.”

On education, Jane Hutt said,

‘The vast changes that have taken place in England’s schools system has made it impossible to measure per pupil spending in recent years. However, today’s figures do show we are spending more on education in the round – that is another strong story for Wales from today’s snapshot.”