Committee seeks public views for its inquiry on the scrutiny of subordinate legislation
The Subordinate Legislation Committee has launched a consultation to seek public views on the preparation and making of subordinate legislation and the conferral of delegated powers on Welsh Ministers in UK Bills.
The inquiry will explore how the Welsh Assembly Government currently prepares and makes subordinate legislation, and how decisions are taken with respect to granting powers to Welsh Ministers in UK Bills. The committee aims to make recommendations to ensure effective scrutiny this area of law by the Assembly and the Committee.
Dai Lloyd AM, Chair of the Committee, said: “Over the last year, the Committee has considered over a hundred and fifty statutory instruments in the form of Welsh Assembly Government regulations. Many of these are fairly technical or are routine updates of existing legislation, but others introduce new duties or implement European directives with significant implications for those affected and merit closer scrutiny. The Committee can now report on these type of policy issues but we need to give some careful consideration as to how best to do this given the amount of regulations we have to consider and the short timescales we have to report within. We would like to hear the views of people and organisations who are regularly affected by regulations as well as the views of academic experts in this area.” .”
The Committee can also consider UK Bills which confer executive powers on Welsh Ministers. Since the introduction of the Government of Wales Act 2006, legislative powers can be conferred on the Assembly through UK Bills as well.
The inquiry will also explore how these decisions are taken and how the implications of UK Bills on Wales can be made more transparent.
The Committee would welcome views and evidence from interested parties on questions such as:
How effective is the Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation with stakeholders in respect of statutory instruments?
How effective and transparent are the Welsh Assembly Government’s procedures for transposing European legislation into regulations?
What are your views on the procedures in place to make transparent the implications of UK Bills for areas of devolved competency and the powers of Welsh Ministers?
What are your views on how decisions are taken with respect to conferring delegated powers on Welsh Ministers, the applicable procedures or conferring framework powers (powers to make Assembly Measures) within Bills?
Further information on the inquiry and the call for evidence