Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wales Bill

The Welsh Affairs Committee will undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wales Bill in October and November 2015. The Government plans to publish the draft Bill when Parliament returns from the party conferences in mid-October.

The draft Bill aims to:

· Move the Welsh model of devolution from a ‘conferred’ to ‘reserved’ powers model

· Devolve further powers to Wales in respect of energy, transport, the environment and elections

Terms of reference

Interested parties are invited to consider:

· Are the Government’s proposals, particularly in respect of the reserved powers model, sound? If not, how could the draft Bill be improved?

· Do the provisions of the draft Wales Bill deliver the policy intentions of the UK Government? Could the wording of the draft Bill be improved or changed?

The Committee particularly welcomes suggestions of specific amendments or modifications to clauses in the Bill.

Interested parties are requested to keep to a word limit of 3,000 words and to focus on key areas that the Committee should investigate during its inquiry. There is no need to address all issues raised in the Bill.

The Committee will accept written evidence before and during its programme of oral evidence, but early submissions are recommended. The Welsh Affairs Committee welcomes written evidence in either English or Welsh.

The Committee will be holding oral evidence sessions in Westminster and Cardiff during October and November. The Government plans to introduce the Bill in early 2016.