The problem for my constituents is that for many years there has been persistent underfunding of our health authority, which each autumn leads to the Spending Crisis faced by most inner-city health authorities.

The Minister will know that there is a Spending Crisis at East Glamorgan hospital.

If, for example - and it will happen to Governments in future - there is a bit of a Spending Crisis and a Budget is introduced, or an expenditure cut is ordered within the financial year, changing the basis of the funding, how will that be reflected in the Welsh assembly's funding?

However, we reject the argument, to which the present Government and the previous one were happy to subscribe, that there is a Spending Crisis in social security.

The Spending Crisis in the Department is an open secret in Whitehall and among defence contractors.

The cause of This Spending Crisis was the way in which the Government decided to reallocate money among the LEAs, a decision announced to the House in November 2002.

The truth is that health spending will rise by 2008 to some £94 billion out of £552 billion, yet there will be fewer beds in the NHS than there were in 1997, and despite that great spending, we have a Massive Spending Crisis.

We are not talking about dealing with the Spending Crisis in the hospitals when we come in 2010; we are giving the Government advice to deal with it now.

Getting out of an over-Spending Crisis is not easy, as the noble Lord, Lord Skidelsky, pointed out.