Members of the Senedd have approved the names and remits of 13 committees for the Seventh Senedd – one more than in the last Senedd.
What are committees?
Committees are small groups of Members who look at issues which affect your daily life – from health and education to the economy and environment. They scrutinise Welsh Government spending and policy, look at new laws and hold Ministers to account.
Committees carry out much of the Senedd’s detailed work, bringing together Members from different parties to look at specific topics. They gather evidence, hear from the public and experts, and often visit affected communities.
Members use this work to make recommendations for change, publish reports, and participate in debates on the issues in the Siambr.
Senedd committees
The 13 new committees are:
- Education, Early Years, Children and Young People Committee
- Health and Social Care Committee
- Climate Change, Environment, Sustainability and Rural Affairs Committee
- Equality, Human Rights and Social Justice Committee
- Economy, Energy and Connectivity Committee
- Culture, Communications, Cymraeg and Sport Committee
- Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
- Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
- Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
- Finance Committee
- Legislation Committee
- Standards of Conduct Committee
- Petitions Committee
The eight policy and legislation committees will each have nine members.
Four committees: Finance, Legislation, Public Accounts and Public Administration, and Petitions, will each have seven members. The Standards of Conduct Committee will have five members.
How committees are formed
Committee membership and chairs will be shared between parties based on the size of their party groups in the Senedd.
The party group representation in each of the nine-member Committees will be:
- Plaid Cymru: 4
- Reform: 3
- Labour: 1
- Conservatives: 1
In each of the seven-member Committees it will be:
- Plaid Cymru: 3
- Reform: 2
- Labour: 1
- Conservatives: 1
Where reasonably possible, one committee place must be offered to each of the three Members who are not in a political group.
What happens next
Elections for Committee Chairs are expected to take place later in June, with the first committee meetings taking place shortly afterwards.
Committee Chair positions will also be allocated to reflect the makeup of political groups in the Senedd. Plaid Cymru are entitled to six Committee Chairs, Reform to five, and Labour and the Conservatives to one each.
Some committees – including the Scrutiny of the First Minister Committee, Llywydd’s Committee and Chair’s Forum – will be established after Chairs have been elected.