The Welsh Grand Committee ( cy, Uwch Bwyllgor Cymreig), is a committee of the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It is one of three such
grand committees in the United Kingdom Parliament; the other two are for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. The committee is made up of all 40
Welsh MPs and up to five other MPs. Since 1996, the committee is governed by
Standing Order numbers 102 to 108, which set out its remit and composition.
Initial attempts at setting up a Grand Committee for Wales were made in 1888 and again in the mid-1890s; however both attempts were unsuccessful.
The proposal was revived in 1958 by
Ness Edwards
Ness Edwards (5 April 1897 – 3 May 1968) was a trade unionist and Welsh Labour Party politician: he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Caerphilly from July 1939 until his death.
He was born in Abertillery, Monmouthshire, Wales, the se ...
MP, and was accepted by the
Procedure Committee
The Procedure Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to consider the practice and procedure of the House in the conduct of public business. The committee is ...
in 1959. On 5 April 1960, an order was made in the House of Commons establishing it. The first meeting of the Grand Committee took place on 11 May 1960.
The committee can meet after a Queen's Speech or budget statement to consider the impact the legislation and finances outlined would have on Wales. It also provides an opportunity for MPs to question ministers and debate current matters, and for ministers to make statements. There are between three and six committee meetings per year.
Proceedings of the Welsh Grand Committee were conducted in English only until February 2017, when translation facilities were installed allowing proceedings to be conducted bilingually in English and in Welsh.
The Welsh Grand Committee usually meets at the
Palace of Westminster in London but does occasionally meet in Wales itself. It met at
County Hall, Aberaeron in February 1998,
County Hall, Cwmbran
County Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Sir Cwmbrân) was a municipal facility on Turnpike Road in Croesyceiliog in Cwmbran in Wales. It was the headquarters of Gwent County Council from 1978 to 1996 and of Monmouthshire County Council from 1996 to 2013.
H ...
in March 2001 and at the Guildhall,
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in October 2011.
See also
*
List of committees of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom are committees of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Each consists of a small number of Members of Parliament from the House of Commons, or peers from the House of Lords, or a mix of both, ap ...
*
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
*
Scottish Grand Committee
*
Welsh Affairs Select Committee
The Welsh Affairs Select Committee (or simply the 'Welsh Affairs Committee') is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy ...
References
External links
Welsh Grand Committee debates
Committees of the British House of Commons
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