Joint Ministerial Committee (UK)

In the United Kingdom, the Interministerial Standing Committee (IMSC; cy, Y Pwyllgor Sefydlog Rhyngweinidogol) is a coordination body among the UK Government and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, established in 2022 following a series of reviews. The Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council is the corresponding body in which the heads of these administrations meet. There are also portfolio-specific interministerial groups affiliated to the IMSC. From 1999 to 2022, its predecessor the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC; cy, Y Cyd-bwyllgor Gweinidogion), established by memorandums of understanding, served a similar purpose.

Joint Ministerial Committee (1999-2022)

The JMC was created in 1999 by Tony Blair's Labour government, and sought to act as a focus for the coordination of the relationships between these administrations. The terms of reference for the JMC were:
*To consider non-devolved matters which impinge on devolved responsibilities, and devolved matters which impinge on non-devolved responsibilities.
*Where the UK government and the devolved administrations so agree, to consider devolved matters if it is beneficial to discuss their respective treatment in different parts of the UK.
*To keep the arrangements for liaison between the UK government and the devolved administrations under review.
*To consider disputes between the administrations.

Membership

Before it was replaced, the membership of the JMC Plenary (JMC(P)) was:
* Prime Minister and Minister for the Union, who acts as chair of the JMC.
* Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
* First Minister of Scotland
* First Minister of Wales
*First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
The following may also attend sessions of the JMC:
*Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or First Secretary of State (if in office)
*The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
*The secretaries of state for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
* Other Secretaries of State when issues relating to their remit are discussed.

Meetings

Since its creation in 1999, there had been several different JMC meeting formats. Since 2010, there have been four types: plenary, Europe, domestic and European negotiations (created following the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum).

The JMC Plenary meetings were intended to occur at least once every year. However, no plenary meetings were held between 2002 and 2008. This was primarily because the UK, Scotland, and Wales governments were all controlled by the Labour Party, and as such ministers from the central and devolved governments could quickly and easily use informal links to coordinate policy. However, following the Scottish National Party's victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election this was no longer the case. So JMC Plenary meetings were re-established, though on an ad hoc basis.

Under proposals outlined by Theresa May in October 2016, the JMC Plenary was to meet on a definite annual basis and would have rotated between London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. It would have also published an annual report on its work and hoped to foster greater formal and informal links between ministers from each (devolved) government. However, these proposals were vetoed by Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness.

The last JMC Plenary was convened by Theresa May on 19 December 2018. Soon after he became Prime Minister in July 2019, Boris Johnson announced he intended to hold a JMC Plenary meeting as soon as possible.

See also

*British–Irish Council, which includes the British and Irish Governments, the UK Devolved Administrations and the Crown Dependencies
* Conference of Ministers-President, a similar body in Germany
*Council of Australian Governments, a similar body in Australia
* European Council – Council of the European Union – General Affairs Council
*First Ministers' conference and the Council of the Federation, similar bodies in Canada
* Ministerial council
*National Governors Association, a similar body in the United States of America
*North/South Ministerial Council

References

External links

GOV.UK: Intergovernmental RelationsDevolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandMemorandum of understanding and supplementary agreement

{{Devolution in the United Kingdom
Devolution in the United Kingdom
1999 establishments in the United Kingdom