Responding to Paul Arnold

Dear Mr Arnold,

Thank you for your response. Your statement that "There is no link between the Barnett Formula and the West Lothian question" is wrong.

The following paragraph, lifted from a letter I received from your colleague Kam Samplay (Constitutional Settlement Division, Ministry of Justice), should explain all.

The Government is of the view that even matters which may appear confined to England may have an impact on the United Kingdom as a whole. For instance, the funding settlement with the nations and regions of the United Kingdom, means that what is decided on public funding in England affects Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These are national issues for the United Kingdom and should be debated at the national Parliament by all MPs representing the United Kingdom, not by subsets depending on the location of their constituency.

Maybe you and Kam could have a chat and get your story straight.

Best regards,