On 16 June the Welsh Senedd’s Finance Committee and the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee held our inaugural meeting of the Interparliamentary Finance Committee Forum at Holyrood.
A key purpose of the Forum is to provide a mechanism for dialogue and co-operation between parliamentarians in Scotland and Wales on issues of common interest and concern regarding devolved public finances. It will also provide an opportunity for a collective voice for Scottish and Welsh Finance Committee interest in scrutinising UK Government spending in devolved areas and provide opportunities for Members across both legislatures to work together to share experiences, with the aim of improving budgetary and fiscal scrutiny and transparency.
Members from the Northern Ireland Assembly Finance Committee will also be invited to join the Forum at a future date, once that Committee is established. Other Parliamentary Committees may be invited to attend any meetings where appropriate.
At its first meeting the Forum considered the budget scrutiny approaches in each legislature, respective work programmes and future challenges facing public finances, sharing common ground and learning from each other’s best practice.
Pictured with me are Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, Chair of the Senedd Finance Committee and his fellow member, Peter Fox MS.
ENDS
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