The Welsh Grand Committee (), is a committee of the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
. 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. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. 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.
The committee can meet after a King'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.
History
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 MP, and was accepted by the
Procedure Committee 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.
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
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
in London but does occasionally meet in Wales itself. It met at
County Hall, Aberaeron, in February 1998, at
County Hall, Cwmbran
County Hall, Cwmbran () 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.
History
For much o ...
, in March 2001 and at the
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
,
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, in October 2011.
See also
*
List of committees of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
*
Welsh Affairs Select Committee
*
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
*
Scottish Grand Committee
*
Regional Affairs Committee (England)
References
External links
Welsh Grand CommitteeWelsh Grand Committee debatesErskine May: Welsh Grand Committee
Committees of the British House of Commons
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