The Senedd is able to pass Acts on any matters that are not reserved to the UK Parliament by the Government of Wales Act 2006 (as amended by the Wales Act 2017).

When the UK Parliament wishes to legislate on a subject matter which has already been devolved to the Senedd, convention requires it to receive the consent of the Senedd before it may pass the legislation in question.

Reports on legislative consent memoranda by the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee can be found under ‘Published Reports’ below.

In Wales, the Welsh Ministers make subordinate legislation using powers given to them in enabling acts such as Senedd Acts, Assembly Measures and Acts of the UK Parliament. Subordinate legislation is also often referred to as delegated legislation, because the power to make subordinate legislation is delegated by the enabling act. Subordinate legislation is also referred to as secondary legislation.

The Committee was established on 26 May 2021* to carry out the functions of the responsible committee set out in Standing Order 21 and Standing Order 26C, and to consider any other matter relating to: legislation within or relating to the competence of the Senedd or the Welsh Ministers, including the quality of legislation; devolution, the constitution (including Wales’s constitutional future), justice, and external affairs, including (but not restricted to) changes to the devolution settlement, and intergovernmental relations.

* Following a resolution in Plenary on 23 June 2021, the Interim Subordinate Legislation Committee became the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee.