Senedd reform: progress (of a sort) A briefing note

2 Introduction In a blog published at the end of last year, I drew attention to the new Cooperation Agreement between the Welsh government and Plaid Cymru, and to the prospect of a larger Senedd which the Agreement envisages.1 The Senedd had already established a Special Purpose Committee (‘the Committee’) to consider that issue, with an instruction to report by 31 May 2022; the Cooperation Agreem. [...] The relatively small size of the Assembly, compared to the 129-Member Scottish Parliament and the original 108 Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, was perhaps justifiable, given the narrow range of purely executive functions for which the Assembly was initially responsible. [...] The LDBC is perfectly well-placed to undertake such an exercise, but what of the criteria? The Leaders specified that the parameters for the review should include ‘amongst other things, a broadly equal number of electors and the same number of Members per constituency’, and the Committee endorses that, but the statutory criteria for review of Parliamentary constituencies already provide for broadl. [...] The Bill and the new Regulations will need to be conceived of as an integrated package; if drafting resources allow, draft Regulations should be published for consultation at the same time the Bill is introduced, so that the totality of the reforms can be properly understood. [...] The planned increase in number of Members from 60 to 96 is bold, and at the highest end of expectations; for the pragmatic supporters of Welsh devolution, that will probably be sufficient to secure their endorsement of the overall package.