Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

Instruments that raise issues to be reported to the Senedd under Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3— previously considered. The Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2025. The committee considered this instrument at its meeting on 24 March and laid its report the same day. Members are invited to note the Welsh Government response to the report, which has since been received. Kate, do you have anything to raise from the Welsh Government response?

Just to note that Welsh Government has laid further regulations revoking and replacing these regulations, which addresses the reporting points.

Okay, thank you very much.

Item 3.2, the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2025. The committee considered this instrument at its meeting on 24 March and laid its report the same day. Members are invited to note the Welsh Government response to the report, which has since been received. Kate, do you have anything to raise from the Welsh Government response?

Just to note that Welsh Government intends to address the technical reporting points through amendments that they're intending to make in summer 2025.

Thank you. Members, do you have anything to raise? No.

The Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2025. The committee considered this instrument at its meeting on 24 March and laid its report the same day. Members are invited to note the Welsh Government response to the report, which has since been received. Kate, do you have anything to raise from the Welsh Government response?

In relation to the fourth reporting point, the Welsh Government have acknowledged that this appears to be an oversight, but they haven't committed to resolving this either immediately or within the next agricultural wages Order, which contrasts to their response to some of the other reporting points. So, the committee might want to write to the Welsh Government just to seek assurance that the oversight will also be addressed in any future agricultural wages Orders.

Okay. Can we do that? Are Members happy? Yes.

Item 3.4, the Education (Information about Children in Independent Schools) (Pilot) (Wales) Regulations 2025. The committee considered this instrument at its meeting on 31 March and laid its report the same day. Members are invited to note the Welsh Government response to the report, which has since been received. Kate, do you have anything to raise from the Welsh Government response?

Just to note that Welsh Government have acknowledged that there is an inconsistency between these regulations and the children missing education database regulations as to the names of the local authorities involved in the relevant pilot scheme. However, the Welsh Government considers that it's still clear which local authorities are being referred to.

Thank you. Are Members happy with that? Yes.

That takes us on to notifications and correspondence under the inter-institutional relations agreement. We’ve got several items there. Members are invited to note the various correspondence from the Welsh Government in relation to meetings of inter-ministerial groups.

We have notifications in relation to the following: a meeting of the inter-ministerial group for environment, food and rural affairs, which was due to be held on 31 March but was postponed and is now going to be held on 12 May; a meeting of the inter-ministerial group on net zero, energy and climate change, which took place on 6 March, and notification that the next meeting will take place on 6 May in Cardiff; the tourism inter-ministerial group will meet on 7 May; a meeting of the four nations group on the UK Government child poverty strategy took place on 19 March; a British-Irish Council environment ministerial meeting will take place on 8 May; and a meeting of the Interministerial Standing Committee took place on 27 February. Discussions on the UK internal market Act, the Sewel convention and UK legislation were held at this meeting, and the next meeting will be held in May. If Members are content to note this correspondence—. Are Members content? Yes.

Item 4.2 is a written Statement and correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs on the Ivory Prohibitions (Exemptions) (Process and Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. This letter from the Deputy First Minister informs us of his intention to consent to the regulations being made by the UK Government. And then we have a written statement in which he informs Members that consent has been given and that the regulations were laid before the UK Parliament on Thursday.

The regulations add three names to the list of institutions that possess necessary knowledge and expertise to provide the Secretary of State with advice on applications for exemption certificates under section 2 to the Ivory Act 2018. National Museum Wales is one of the three institutions being added. The Deputy First Minister says that the regulations will improve access to assessors for the people of Wales. He states that this is being done via a UK SI and not a Welsh SI because he says it is

'the most pragmatic approach to achieve consistent implementation of the agreed policy with no risk of deviation, both from a policy and timings perspective'.

Are Members content to note this? Yes.

Papers to note. Correspondence with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on inter-governmental relations. The letter from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster declines our invitation for him to attend our committee to provide evidence around inter-governmental relations, but notes that his colleague Minister Alexander will be engaging with the interparliamentary forum on inter-governmental relations. Are Members content to note this? Yes.

Correspondence from the Welsh Government: responses to committee reports on the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill. The Cabinet Secretary has responded to both our report and the report of the Finance Committee on the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill. Do Members have any comments? No.

Correspondence from the Finance Committee to committee chairs: scrutiny of the Welsh Government draft budget 2025-26. The Finance Committee is requesting the views of committees on the scrutiny of the Welsh Government draft budget 2025-26 and how improvements may be made for the 2026-27 draft budget. The deadline for responses is 23 May, in advance of the Plenary debate on the budget priorities for 2026-27, which will be led by the Finance Committee. Are members content to note this for now and return to this either later on today or at another session?

Correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to the Health and Social Care Committee: actions to improve the handling of complaints about NHS Wales. The Cabinet Secretary’s letter informs the Health and Social Care Committee that significant work is under way to redesign and refresh the NHS Wales complaints procedures, which will include, amongst other things, amendments to subordinate legislation. The Cabinet Secretary is offering a technical briefing to members of the Health and Social Care Committee, the Finance Committee and this committee. We may, again, wish to return to this at a future date.

Correspondence from the Welsh Government: response to the committee’s report on the Welsh Government’s legislative consent memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The Welsh Government has responded to our report on the Welsh Government’s legislative consent memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. A supplementary legislative consent memorandum has been laid, which the committee will consider in a fortnight. Do Members have any comments at this stage? No.

Correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill. This letter from the Deputy First Minister provides a correction to the transcript from our evidence session with him on 10 February, in relation to powers of entry and related appeals. Are Members content to note this?

Correspondence from the Welsh Government: response to the committee’s report on the Welsh Government’s supplementary legislative consent memorandum on the Renters’ Rights Bill. The Welsh Government has responded to our report on the Welsh Government’s supplementary legislative consent memorandum on the Renters’ Rights Bill. We may wish to consider this response in a private session.

Correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: the UK Government’s review of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act. The Deputy First Minister responds to our letter in relation to the UK Government’s review of the UK Internal Market Act, and he states that he and his officials are engaged with their UK Government counterparts. He commits to keeping us informed on the progress of those discussions where he can. Do Members have any comments? No.

Correspondence from the Secretary of State for Wales: laying of bilingual statutory instruments. The Secretary of State for Wales has responded to our letter seeking further information about the laying of bilingual instruments in the context of section 156 of the Government of Wales Act 2006. The Secretary of State reiterates her support for the Welsh language and ensuring access to information and services through the medium of Welsh, but does not believe that Parliament would consider that section 156 of the 2006 Act amounts to a requirement that subordinate legislation be laid bilingually. She also states that officials have confirmed with the Journal Office that, without such a requirement, relevant statutory instruments could only be laid in Parliament in English. Again, we may wish to return to this at another time.

A written statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government: campaign expenditure limits for Senedd elections. The Cabinet Secretary informs Members that the Welsh Government has set new campaign expenditure limits for individual candidates and registered parties at Senedd elections. The forthcoming conduct Order, which the Cabinet Secretary says will be laid after Easter recess, will set limits for individual candidates, and draft regulations to amend the limits for registered parties will also be laid in the summer term. The Cabinet Secretary states she looks forward to the scrutiny of these important instruments. Members, do you have any initial comments?

The Welsh Government has responded to our report on the Welsh Government's supplementary legislative consent—. Sorry, I missed turning the page there. Correspondence from the Equality and Social Justice Committee to the Ministry of Justice: invitation to joint ministerial sessions on criminal justice. The Equality and Social Justice Committee will be taking evidence from Lord Timpson, the Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending on 19 May and will extend an invitation to one or two members of this committee to attend. A similar invitation has been extended to members of the Health and Social Care Committee and the Commons Welsh Affairs Committee. The anticipated topics of discussion at the session include prison safety and reform, the work to reduce reoffending and preparation for further devolution of justice. We may wish to return to this in private session. Do Members have any comments at this stage?

Correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery. The Deputy First Minister and the Counsel General have responded to our request for further clarification on the Welsh Government's decision not to publish a further annual report on Delivering Justice for Wales. They state that

‘tangible delivery for the people of Wales is being prioritised across government’

and as such the Welsh Government's default position is to not publish strategies, frameworks, plans and annual report-type documents unless it is absolutely necessary. They go on to state that publishing a further progress report on Delivering Justice for Wales would require a

‘significant amount of civil service resource’

and that in this instance they have made the difficult decision to prioritise making tangible progress on important objectives such as devolution of justice during this Senedd term. Do Members have any comments?

Correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: the Welsh Government's response to the committee's report on the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill. The Deputy First Minister has responded positively to our report on the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill. He has accepted 14 of our 22 recommendations either fully or in part. Do Members have any comments?

Correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning: the Welsh Government's response to the committee's report on the legislative consent memorandum on the Data (Use and Access) Bill. The Cabinet Secretary has responded to the committee's report on the legislative consent memorandum on the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Members have an opportunity to discuss its response when we consider supplementary memorandum No. 3 in private session at another time. Do Members have any comments they wish to make now? No.

We move on to the next item, a motion under Standing Order 17.42. In accordance with Standing Order 17.42, I invite the committee to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting. Do Members agree? Yes.