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Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Inter-Parliamentary Forum

The primary purposes of the Inter-Parliamentary 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 IPF 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 Co-operation 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 inter-parliamentary 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.

Meetings

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum met in the House of Lords on 25 February 2022.

Read the Joint Statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: UK Parliament

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum met in Senedd (Welsh Parliament) on 28 October 2022.

Read the Joint Statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: Welsh Parliament (the Senedd)

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum met in the House of Commons on 24 March 2023.

Read the Joint Statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: House of Commons (79KB, pdf) posted 27 March 2023

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum met in the Scottish Parliament on 27 October 2023.

Read the Joint Statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: Scottish Parliament (211KB, pdf) posted 05 February 2024

The Inter Parliamentary Forum met in the House of Lords on 29 February 2024 

Read the Joint Statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: House of Lords

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum met in the Northern Ireland Assembly on the 15 November 2024 

Read the joint statement of the Interparliamentary Forum: Northern Ireland Assembly

 

Correspondence

The Committee has sent and received the following correspondence during the inquiry:

Inter Parliamentary Forum response from Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities

Letter from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities following the Inter-Parliamentary Forum held on the 25 February 2024, received 21 March 2024

Inter Parliamentary Forum Scrutiny of Common Frameworks

Letter from Baroness Drake to Rt Hon Michael Gove MP following the fifth meeting of the Interparliamentary Forum, held on 29 February 2024.

Response from the UK Government on Common Frameworks Reporting

Response from the Secretary of State to the Committee's letter stemming from the meeting of the Interparliamentary Forum on 27 October, received 19 December 2023

Common Frameworks Reporting

Letter from the Convener to Rt. Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, 7 November 2023

Inter Ministerial Standing Committee

Letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery on Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee (IMSC) that took place on the 29th of June.

Trade Union Wales Act 2017

Letter from the Senedd’s Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee notifying the Committee of a recent letter to the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding the UK Government’s intention to legislate to remove the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017, 21 July 2022.

Intergovernmental Relations (proposals for UK Bills to legislate in devolved areas)

Letter from the Senedd’s Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee notifying the Committee of a recent letter to the UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities regarding intergovernmental relations and proposals for UK Bills to legislate in devolved areas, 20 July 2022.

Letter from Neil Gray MSP providing an update regarding a meeting of the Interministerial Group (IMG) on UK-EU Relations that took place on the 4 July

Letter from Neil Gray, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and Minister with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine providing an update regarding a meeting of the Interministerial Group (IMG) on UK-EU Relations that took place on the 4 July received on the 13th July 2022.