Member

I turn to Amendment 6 in the name of the noble Lady, Baroness Humphreys, which I have signed in support. The amendment would devolve management of the Crown Estate to Wales. As your Lordships’ House will know, the devolution settlements in Wales and Scotland differ greatly on the Crown Estate. In Scotland, the Crown Estate assets were valued at over £650 million, and the profits go to the Scottish Government. Last year, the Scottish Crown Estate generated £103 million for the Scottish Government’s purse. Pots of this money were given to rural and relatively deprived areas in Scotland. To put this into perspective, that is four times the amount that the UK Government committed to coal tip safety in last week’s Budget. Constitutionally, we should support Wales being on an equal footing with Scotland, as currently there is an asymmetry of power between the two nations to manage their own natural resources.