10 November 2016

Dear Lord Lang

UK Government’s Wales Bill and future collaboration   

I am writing to express my sincere thanks for hosting a meeting of our respective committees to discuss the UK Government’s Wales Bill. We found it to be an incredibly valuable session.

From our perspective, it demonstrated clearly the benefits of joint-working and co-operation between parliamentary committees in Cardiff and Westminster on matters of common interest.

Like our predecessor committee, we would like these relationships to develop further over the coming years.

Our work on the Wales Bill has highlighted issues about inter-governmental working that we believe need to be explored further, particularly in light of the negotiations that will need to take place between the UK and Welsh governments as a consequence of the UK’s decision to exit the EU.  

We are therefore in the process of drawing up terms of reference for an inquiry on inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary working. We are conscious of the

excellent work your committee has already undertaken on inter-governmental relations. Once we have a clearer idea about the shape our work is likely to take and how it can add value to that already undertaken, we will share our approach with you (and other parliamentary committees with a constitutional interest) in the spirit of that closer co-operation.

Yours sincerely

Huw Irranca-Davies

Chair