Government responds to report on the draft Wales Bill

• Report: Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wales Bill: Government response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2013-14
• Report: Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wales Bill
• Welsh Affairs Committee

The Government has accepted most of the Committee’s recommendations following its pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wales Bill. In particular, the Government has:

• accepted the Committee’s recommendation to amend the Bill to give the National Assembly legislative powers over its own financial procedures, which would make the devolution of financial powers themselves work;
• accepted the Committee’s recommendation to extend the period in which a Member of the National Assembly for Wales can sit simultaneously as an MP, to avoid the need for too frequent by-elections;
• produced a Command Paper providing information on the areas identified by the Committee as requiring further explanation, such as block grant adjustment mechanisms, borrowing limits and devolving business rates.

Copies of the Report can be ordered from The Stationery Office (Tel: 0845 702 3474) or from the Parliamentary Bookshop (Tel: 020 7219 3890). It can also be viewed on our website from the day of publication at:  http://www.parliament.uk/welshcom  

Further information

• About Parliament: Select Committees
• Visiting Parliament: Select Committees