Welsh Government agrees to publish spending over 25k

Following pressure from the Welsh Liberal Democrats, the Welsh Government has announced for the first time that they will publish details of all government expenditure over £25,000. In a response to a written question from Kirsty Williams, the Minister for Finance confirmed they now intend to publish payment details over £25k.

For months, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams, has been challenging the First Minister to follow the example of the Scottish Executive and the UK Government and publish all expenditure over £25k. She raised the issue with him in First Minister’s Questions on the 23^rd November 2010 and wrote to him subsequently on 26^th November 2010.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats were the only party to commit to publishing all expenditure over £25k in the Welsh election.

During the election, Kirsty Williams said, “The first step of any government serious about cutting waste would be to publish all items of expenditure over £25k.”

Today, she added:

“I am glad that, following pressure from the Welsh Liberal Democrats, the Welsh Government has finally announced their intention to publish all expenditure over £25k. Putting this information in the public domain will mean that politicians and the public can all play their role in rooting out waste and inefficiency. Frankly, I am amazed that the government took so long to agree to this relatively modest measure.

“The government now needs to announce a timetable and methodology for publishing this information as soon as possible.”