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Future Options
An Assessment of the Powers of the National Assembly for Wales

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Evidence submitted to the Richard Commission on the Powers and Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales

Martin Laffin
Alys Thomas
Ian Thomas

Contents

1.

Introduction

1

2.

Accountability and Responsibility

a.  Federal Comparisons
b.  Fiscal federalism
c.  Quangos/ASPBs/NPDBs
4
6
7

3.

Devolved Policy Making

a.  Problems with the existing settlement
b.  Devolved policy-making: options for reform
c.  New common policy frameworks
10
15
18

4.

The System of Intergovernmental Relations

a. Overview of formal IGR mechanisms
b. Secretary of State for Wales
c. The Assembly’s dependence on Westminster
              for primary legislationd.
d. The relationship with central departments
e. How robust is the settlement?
f. The system is untested
21
22

22
24
26
27

5.

Democratic Scrutiny and Primary Legislation

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a. The Assembly and the Westminster legislative process
b. Options for improving the scrutiny of primary legislation
c. The Sewel Convention
d. Conclusions
29
32
34
36

6.

The Welsh Settlement Assessed

37

Appendix 1       Examples of policy constraints on the Assembly
Appendix II      The Rawlings Principles
Appendix III     The Barnett Formula

Bibliography