Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Bore da, bawb. Can I welcome Members to this week’s Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee? The public items of the meeting are broadcast live on Senedd.tv and the Record of Proceedings will be published in due course. This is a bilingual meeting, and so simultaneous translation from Welsh to English is available. Before we proceed, can I ask if Members have any declarations of interest? No. 

We'll now move on to consider the committee's papers to note. Under item 2.1, we've received correspondence from Dr Robert Jones enclosing an implementation plan for recommendations arising from the Thomas Commission on Justice in Wales. It follows a report that he prepared earlier this year, which was commissioned through our predecessor committee in the sixth Senedd. The plan identifies actions the Welsh Government could take. Dr Jones also indicates his willingness to engage further with the committee, and this is something that we might wish to return to in private session as part of our discussion on early committee activity. Are Members happy? Diolch.

Under item 2.2, we've received one letter relating to the attendance of Welsh Government Ministers at meetings of inter-ministerial groups. The Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution, Dafydd Trystan Davies MS, has written following the Interministerial Standing Committee held on 24 June. The letter reports on discussions on Government priorities, the domestic impacts of developments in the middle east, community cohesion and future Interministerial Standing Committee arrangements. The Cabinet Minister states that he made the case for a new Wales Bill alongside the need for fair funding and fiscal flexibilities for the Welsh Government. He states that he also noted the importance of inter-governmental engagement in relation to the legislative consent process and respect for the Sewel convention. The next meeting is expected to take place in the autumn term. Do Members have any comments that they want to make? No.

Paper 4 is a letter from the Legislation Committee to the First Minister about legislative consent. The letter notes that recent legislative consent memoranda for several UK Parliament Bills did not include Welsh Government recommendations on whether the Senedd should give consent. The Legislation Committee asks the First Minister to clarify why an analysis of the UK Government's legislative programme is required before such recommendations are made and requests that recommendations or memoranda already laid before the Senedd be provided at the earliest opportunity. Do Members have any comments? Okay.

Paper 9 is a letter from the Legislation Committee to the Business Committee concerning draft regulations on electoral registration without application. The regulations would enable local authorities in Wales to add individuals to the electoral register without an application from the 2027 local government elections. The Legislation Committee considers that the regulations may engage the enhanced scrutiny process under the 2024 Act. If so, it considers that the Welsh Government should have notified the Business Committee when the regulations were laid, enabling a report timetable to be established. The Legislation Committee asks the Business Committee to consider the matter urgently as the regulations are scheduled for debate on 29 September and there's limited time for the Senedd to determine whether to trigger enhanced scrutiny or refer policy scrutiny to another committee. I think this has since been referred to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. Are there any comments Members would like to make? No. 

Item 2.5 is a written statement from the Counsel General on the Welsh Government's principles for UK legislation in devolved areas. The statement refers to legislative consent, the Sewel convention and possible further work on Sewel, including a memorandum of understanding and statutory safeguards. Annex A sets out the circumstances in which the Welsh Government considers UK legislation in devolved areas may be appropriate and the safeguards it says should apply. Do Members have any comments that they'd like to make? Again, this is something that we might want to return to in private session as part of the discussion on early committee activity. Okay.

I propose, in accordance with Standing Order 17.42(ix), that the committee resolves to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting in order to discuss matters relating to the internal business of the committee. Are Members content? Members are content. Thank you.