Assembly committee to scrutinise how powers are transferred from UK Parliament

Published 03/08/2011   |   Last Updated 14/07/2014

Assembly committee to scrutinise how powers are transferred from UK Parliament 3 August 2011 A new inquiry by the National Assembly for Wales will examine how powers are conferred on Welsh Government Ministers by UK Parliament. The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee is asking people and organisations to tell them what they think of the processes and scrutiny procedures that are already in place and whether they can be broadened or improved. “Following the ‘yes’ vote in the March Referendum, the National Assembly for Wales can now make laws in 20 devolved fields such as those affecting our schools and hospitals,” said David Melding AM, Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Committee and Deputy Presiding Officer. “But under Acts of the UK Parliament and other processes, further powers can still be conferred on Welsh Ministers if the proposed legislation also covers matters already devolved to Wales. “At present, in Wales, those powers are not subject to the same scrutiny as Bills which are put before the Assembly. “The Committee will therefore be looking in particular at the application of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, at the technical guidance for Whitehall departments set out in Devolution Guidance Notes and at the processes for agreeing legislative consent through Legislative Consent Motions.” In particular the Committee wants views on: The extent of the current National Assembly scrutiny of delegated powers given to Welsh Ministers through provisions in UK Acts and through other statutory mechanisms;  The extent to which the National Assembly is able to exercise robust scrutiny of such processes through its Standing Orders;  The relevance of the UK Government’s Devolution Guidance Notes in the light of recent Welsh constitutional developments;  The procedures for Legislative Consent Motions compared to the position in the other devolved legislatures;  Any other matter that you consider to be relevant to the inquiry. The Committee would welcome your views on the issues covered by the terms of reference. Responses, either in hard copy or electronically, should be sent to the following address to arrive no later than by 30 September 2011: The Committee Clerk Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee Ty Hywel National Assembly for Wales Cardiff CF99 1NA E-mail: CLA.Committee@wales.gov.uk