Decision details
Debate on the Finance Committee's report ‘Borrowing Powers and Innovative Approaches to Capital Funding'
Decision Maker: Finance Committee - Fourth Assembly, Plenary - Fourth Assembly
Status: Complete
Is Key decision?: Yes
Purpose:
The Finance Committee
considered aspects of the financing and funding of devolution in Wales with a
view to informing the Part 1 report of the Silk Commission. In particular the Committee explored:
- the extent to which the Welsh Government could be granted borrowing
powers, looking at lessons learnt from the experience of local authorities
current borrowing powers; and
- consider innovative mechanisms which could be utilised by the Welsh
Government to lever capital funds for infrastructure projects, without
negatively impacting on the Welsh block, including the extent to which
current borrowing powers of local authorities and other organisations
could be utilised.
In the course of the inquiry the Committee considered:
- measures taken by local authorities to determine and keep under
review their prudential borrowing limits and how this is undertaken;
- differing levels of prudential borrowing used by local authorities
in Wales and any reasons for such differences;
- an overview of the nature of projects for which unsupported
borrowing has been used, and whether there are particular reasons for
such;
- lessons learned from local authorities on prudential borrowing
including the long term impact of repayments;
- how local authority borrowing could be used to boost the levels of
capital available for Welsh infrastructure;
- any alternative measures being considered by local authorities to
finance capital expenditure;
- alternative mechanisms of levering capital funding being considered
by the Welsh Government in the preparation of their Infrastructure Plan,
including the possibility of boosting borrowing by local authorities and
other organisations;
- exploring innovative capital models proposed elsewhere in the UK,
how these have been developed, utilised, and, where possible, how they
have performed.
Decision:
The item started at 16.06
NDM5073 Jocelyn
Davies (South Wales East)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
Notes the Finance Committee's report on Borrowing Powers and Innovative Approaches to Capital Funding which was laid in the Table Office on 3 July 2012.
Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 17 October 2012.
The motion was agreed
in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Publication date: 24/10/2012
Date of decision: 24/10/2012
Decided at meeting: 24/10/2012 - Plenary - Fourth Assembly