A HOLYROOD committee is hoping to press the new constitution minister on the UK Government’s pledge to “reset” relations with the devolved administrations.
Clare Adamson, the convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee at the Scottish Parliament, has written to Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister for the constitution and European Union relations in Keir Starmer’s Government.
Noting Labour’s “commitment to reset the UK Government’s relationship with the devolved governments”, Adamson (below) said she hopes the minister will be able to meet with the committee “as soon as practical after our summer recess”.
She told Thomas-Symonds that MSPs will also welcome a written response from him on their previous recommendations on how devolution can be updated.
With the committee already having warned the Sewel Convention – which states the UK Government should not normally legislate in devolved areas without the consent of Holyrood – is “under strain”, MSPs have recommended changes.
The committee has suggested a new memorandum of understanding should be drawn up between the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, setting out how devolution should work now the UK is no longer part of the European Union.
Adamson previously said such a memorandum “should be one of the first steps in the journey towards addressing the impact of the changes in devolution following our departure from the EU”.
She has stressed it is “critical that any new agreements acknowledge the fundamental principle that the Scottish Parliament must have the ability to effectively oversee all the powers within its competence”.
Adamson said: “The evolving regulatory environment resembles a shifting landscape with its twists and turns, which has led to disagreements between devolved institutions and the UK Government.
“These dynamics present challenges to the Scottish Parliament’s core functions and its oversight of ministers that must be resolved to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
