Inter-Parliamentary Forum

Inter-Parliamentary Forum
PredecessorInter-Parliamentary Forum on Brexit
FormationFebruary 25, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02-25)
PurposeInterparliamentary relations
Region served
United Kingdom
MembershipHouse of Lords
House of Commons
Northern Ireland Assembly
Scottish Parliament
Senedd
Official language
English, Welsh

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum (IPF; Welsh: Fforwm Rhyngseneddol) is a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the members of the two houses of the UK Parliament, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and the devolved legislatures of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd.[1] It is composed of the chairs or conveners of relevant committees of each legislature.

The forum was established in 2022 as the successor to the Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Brexit which first met in 2017 to help coordinate the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.[2]

Terms of reference

The forum's terms of reference were adopted following its first meeting in February 2022 and are as follows:[3]

"The Interparliamentary Forum provides a collective space to share information about, and does not supplant, each parliament's scrutiny of its executive.

Initial priorities for the forum will include oversight of:

The Interparliamentary Forum will aim to improve scrutiny in these areas through both a mutual exchange of information and best practice at a parliamentary level and in seeking a consistent approach to improving accountability at both a Ministerial and inter-governmental level."

Meetings

The Inter-Parliamentary Forum usually meets twice a year, in spring and in autumn.

Overview of Interparliamentary Forum meetings
Date Host Chair Joint statement
25 February 2022 House of Lords John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith [1]
28 October 2022 Senedd Elin Jones [2]
24 March 2023 House of Commons William Wragg [3]
27 October 2023 Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone [4]
29 February 2024 House of Lords Jeannie Drake, Baroness Drake
Peter Ricketts, Baron Ricketts
[5]
15 November 2024 Northern Ireland Assembly Paula Bradshaw
Matthew O’Toole
[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A new structure for interparliamentary relations". hansardsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  2. ^ "Launch of the Interparliamentary Forum – UK Parliament".
  3. ^ "Interparliamentary forum". 28 February 2022.