Â鶹Éç

So where has Alistair Darling's Pre-Budget Report (already re-named the Pre-Election report by George Osborne) left Wales?

These are the numbers:

The block grant goes up next year by £500m to £15.7 billion. "Goes up" since last year, yes but let's be clear here, it's not really "additional" as the Wales Office press release has it ... at least not in the sense that it's extra money coming our way because of the Chancellor's statement. It was coming anyway. It was already part of the Assembly Government's spending plans voted on yesterday.

The truly "additional" money coming to the Welsh budget as a result of today's statement comes in so-called Barnett consequentials, the knock-on effect of how much money is spent on areas like schools and the health budget in England. The maths means Wales gets an extra £13m. You'll have worked out already that in these belt tightening days, that's not a lot.

This is the line from the Wales Office:

"Despite a clamour from certain quarters for widespread public spending cuts ..." - get it? Labour have to make "tough choices" but the Conservatives are 'clamouring' for cuts - "Wales will receive an additional £500 million funding next year ... The Chancellor's Pre Budget Report (PBR) will lock in economic recovery and build for growth in Wales, while protecting frontline public services and rebalancing public finances in a fair way".

And here, for good measures, are some more figures for you, covering 2008 but . They concentrate on GVA, the measure of contribution made by individuals and companies to the economy.

Again, how does Wales fare? We're still bottom of the class - the worst performing part of the UK. The value of goods and services per head of population in Wales was 25.7% below the UK average - the lowest it's been in Wales since 1999.

The same figure for London was 69.5% above the average. Scotland was 2.1% below the UK average. Northern Ireland was 21.1% below the average.

Our bottom-of-the-class mates at times like this, the north east of England, is 22.6% below the UK average.

Now then: hands up who fancies the Finance portfolio?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• |
• |
• - What's this?