Interparliamentary forum

The Interparliamentary Forum is the successor to the Interparliamentary Forum on Brexit which provided a forum for collective scrutiny of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

It brings together Chairs, Conveners and representatives of Committees scrutinising new frameworks beyond Brexit in the Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, Senedd, House of Commons and House of Lords.

The Chairs of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee regularly attend meetings of the forum.

The primary purposes of the Interparliamentary Forum are to provide a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between parliamentarians from the Parliaments and Assemblies in meeting common scrutiny challenges arising from the new constitutional arrangements following the UK’s departure from the EU and to co-operate in finding solutions to overcome them. This will involve developing an inter-parliamentary approach aimed at ensuring appropriate levels of respective Ministerial accountability and transparency in a range of areas which in many cases may require new scrutiny processes.

The Interparliamentary Forum provides a collective space to share information about, and does not supplant, each parliament’s scrutiny of its executive. Initial priorities for the forum will include oversight of:

• Inter-governmental relations including agreeing a joint annual report on addressing common scrutiny challenges;
• The operation of international agreements including the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Withdrawal Agreement and the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol;
• The UK internal market including the UK Internal Market Act and Common Frameworks;
• The impact of the new constitutional arrangements on the legislative process including the use of secondary powers and the legislative consent process.

The Interparliamentary Forum will aim to improve scrutiny in these areas through both a mutual exchange of information and best practice at a parliamentary level and in seeking a consistent approach to improving accountability at both a Ministerial and inter-governmental level.

February 2024

The Interparliamentary Forum met for the fifth time on 29 February 2024 in the House of Lords. The meeting was chaired by Baroness Drake and Lord Ricketts, chairs of the Constitution and European Affairs committees, and attended by representatives from the House of Commons, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. A Joint Statement was published following the meeting.

October 2023

The Interparliamentary Forum (IPF) met for the fourth time on 27th October 2023 in the Scottish Parliament. The meeting was chaired by Clare Adamson MSP, Convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee and attended by representatives from the House of Commons, Senedd Cymru, and the House of Lords. A Joint Statement was published following the meeting.

March 2023
On 24 March 2023, the Interparliamentary Forum met for a third time, in the House of Commons in Westminster. The meeting was attended by the Chairs and Conveners of Committees from Senedd Cymru, the Scottish Parliament, House of Lords and the House of Commons. The meeting was chaired by William Wragg MP, Chair of the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Discussions focused on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and intergovernmental relations arrangements. A Joint Statement was published following the meeting.

October 2022

On 28 October 2022, the Interparliamentary Forum met for a second time in the Senedd in Cardiff. Representatives of committees in Senedd Cymru, the Scottish Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords were welcomed to the Senedd by the Llywydd, the Rt Hon Elin Jones MS. Discussions focused on the implications of important UK Bills on the Northern Ireland Protocol and retained EU law. A Joint Statement was published following the meeting.

February 2022

On 25 February 2022, the Chairs, Conveners and Members of the relevant committees in the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru, Northern Ireland Assembly, House of Commons and House of Lords, met at the House of Lords for the first meeting of the Interparliamentary Forum, following an invitation from the Lord Speaker. A Joint Statement was published following the meeting.