Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee has been set up by the Senedd to carry out the functions of the responsible committee set out in Standing Orders 21 and 26C. The Committee may also consider any matter relating to legislation, devolution, the constitution, justice, and external affairs.

The Committee has four Members who come from the different parties represented in the Senedd, and is chaired by Mike Hedges MS (elected on 21 May 2024). The Committee was previously chaired by Huw Irranca-Davies MS (29 June 2021 - 15 April 2024), and Sarah Murphy MS (16 April 2024 - 20 May 2024).

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

Latest Committee Activity

Committee News

Primary Legislation

Bills introduced to the Senedd

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).

Progress of Senedd Bills

Legislative Consent

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.

Read more about Legislative Consent

Subordinate Legislation

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.

Other Work

Remit

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.

Committee Members