WALES will receive additional funding from the UK Government to help pay for the vaccine booster programme.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the details of how much Wales would get would be announced in the coming days and would be kept under review.
The funding would be in addition to the grants received under the Barnett Formula.
“Throughout this pandemic, the UK has stood together as one family, and we will continue to do so,” Mr Sunak said.
“We are working with the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to drive the vaccine rollout to all corners of the UK and ensure people and businesses all across the country are supported.”
The Treasury said any additional in-year Barnett funding would not be confirmed until early next year through the supplementary estimates process.
The devolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had received an extra £12.6 billion through the Barnett formula this year, taking the total funding this year to £77.6 billion.
Secretary of state for Wales Simon Hart added: “During the past two years we have tackled the pandemic as one UK, with the UK Government providing vaccines, Covid testing and armed forces support in Wales as well as our ground-breaking financial measures which have protected around 500,000 livelihoods in Wales.
“Today’s funding announcement provides certainty for the devolved Welsh Government as it looks to plan its pandemic response for the coming weeks and will be followed by a record £18 billion a year settlement from the recent Budget so Welsh Government can deliver vital services including health, education and flood protection in the coming years.
“We will continue to do everything we can to build back better from the pandemic, creating jobs and growing a strong economy in Wales and across the UK.”
First minister Mark Drakeford said Wales would need further guarantees from the Treasury over financial support if tighter restrictions force businesses to close in the new year.
He told ITV Wales’s Sharp End: “I think it’s extremely difficult for any devolved government to take any action of that sort without knowing that the Treasury guarantees would be there.
“That’s a point I made very forcefully to the UK Government yesterday.”
He added: “We cannot go back to the position we were in last year where we took action and the Treasury refused to help, and when, the following week the UK Government decided to take action in England, suddenly the Treasury purse strings were loosened and the money became available.
“We cannot have necessary public health decisions made simply when England thinks it’s right for them.”
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