Dame Rosemary Butler

Presiding Officer

National Assembly for Wales

Cardiff CF99 1NA

9 November 2015

Dear Rosemary

Chairs’ Forum Legacy Report

It has been my pleasure to bring together the Chairs of the Assembly’s committees to consider the committee system of the Fourth Assembly.

The Chairs’ Forum has taken a strategic approach, looking beyond our individual committees. We have worked collaboratively across our respective parties, and we have been able to share experiences and good practice of committee structures, processes and outcomes. At your request, we have developed a suite of recommendations for improving on performance in the Fifth Assembly.

We believe that effective scrutiny should again be at the core of the new Assembly.

We trust that the enclosed report will be a significant contribution to the Business Committee’s Legacy Report, and that our views will be seriously considered by the architects of the committee system in the Fifth Assembly.

If there are any areas of your legacy work and forward planning for the Fifth Assembly where you feel the Chairs’ Forum could have a useful input, we would be pleased to offer further assistance.

Yours sincerely

David Melding AM, Deputy Presiding Officer