Barnett Formula

EDM number 470 in 1997-98, proposed by Dafydd Wigley on 17/11/1997.

That this House notes that over the period since the establishment of the Barnett Formula to determine the share of increased public expenditure within the Welsh and Scottish blocks the GDP per capita in Wales has decreased even further in relation to that of the United Kingdom and now stands at 83 per cent. of the UK average, being the lowest of any country or region in Britain; and calls on the Government, as part of any reconsideration of the formula, to define objective criteria of need on which to base the formula, with a particular weighting to the discrepancy in per capita GDP; and also to take into account the benefits to the local economies of the nations and regions of Britain, arising from expenditure currently outside the block to which the Barnett Formula applies, and in particular expenditure on defence procurement, 50 per cent. of which currently is channelled into the South East England region.

This motion has been signed by a total of 3 MPs.