Agriculture Bill

We reiterate the conclusions in our report, Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties: “As part of its treaty-making after the UK leaves the European Union , the UK Government must engage effectively with the devolved institutions on treaties that involve areas of devolved competence. The UK Government will need to consult the devolved governments about their interests when opening negotiations, not just to respect the competences of those governments but also in acknowledgement of the important role devolved administrations may play in the implementation of new international obligations.” 15

We recommend that the power in clause 40 should require the Secretary of State to consult the relevant devolved administrations prior to regulations being made.

We reiterate the conclusion in our report on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: “Effective inter-governmental relations are essential to achieve a smooth transfer of competences from the EU level to the devolved administrations and to agree new common UK frameworks. We urge the Government and the devolved administrations as a matter of urgency to work cooperatively to improve the operation of the Joint Ministerial Committee as the primary forum for these discussions .” 25 Delegated powers Skeleton legislation