The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent

Letter from the Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Lord Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee, regarding the Committee's report on the 'Governance of the Union' (26 March 2025)

Published 31 March 2025. The deadline was 27 November 2024.

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The Chair's response to the Government's response to the committee's 'Governance of the Union' report (29 January 2025)

Published 30 January 2025.

This document is not a government response but a letter from the Lords Constitution Committee to Pat McFadden MP, seeking further detail on how the government will address its recommendations, so it sets out no government position.

• The Committee notes that the government's response indicates the Devolution Guidance Notes remain in use despite being "significantly out-of-date", and asks whether it intends to update them and on what timetable.
• The Committee says the government "has not responded" to its specific recommendation on a "new principle of positive engagement" and asks whether it intends to update the intergovernmental relations principles.
• The Committee welcomes the government's intention to work on a new Memorandum of Understanding on legislation and asks about the timetable, a possible review of the 2022 structure, and what the MoU will include.
• The Committee asks for a timetable for finalising and fully implementing all 32 common frameworks, and sets out improvements it hopes the government will agree to for the Intergovernmental Relations Transparency Reports.

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Government response to the Committee's report on The Governance of the Union (27 November 2024)

Published 29 November 2024.

The government shares the Committee's view on the importance of a strong relationship with the devolved governments, agrees with several of its conclusions, and says it is "committed to resetting the relationship", while it notes or will consider some recommendations.

• On the Sewel Convention, the government says it "has committed to working on a new Memorandum of Understanding on legislation", to "establish a mutual baseline for engagement".
• On upholding and reviewing intergovernmental relations, it says this is "a joint responsibility shared by the UK Government and the devolved governments", for the governments to "take forward and agree together".
• On transparency, it agrees this is important and says it "intends to publish routine transparency information on intergovernmental relations", while "respecting the confidentiality of intergovernmental meetings".
• On a memorandum to the Lords on devolution implications of bills, it will "consider the proposals" as part of its Sewel manifesto work and "can update the Committee on this work in due course".

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