The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee is launching an inquiry on the transparency of intergovernmental activity - the interactions and cooperation between central and devolved governments - and its implications for parliamentary scrutiny and Ministerial accountability.

The inquiry seeks to:

• Consider how formal intergovernmental structures are working and how they can be developed and improved.
• Review the progress on the intergovernmental relations reset committed to by the UK Government and what it means for parliamentary scrutiny.
• Take stock of what intergovernmental activity is happening outside of formal structure, consider how transparent such activity is, and what impact this has on parliamentary and stakeholder scrutiny.
• Assess the potential consequences of insufficient scrutiny of intergovernmental activity, particularly considering arrangements such as common frameworks, the UK Internal Market Act 2020 and the potential for dynamic alignment with EU law as a result of new UK/EU agreements.
• Consider what the evolving shared intergovernmental space means for parliamentary scrutiny and accountability, particularly in relation to legislative consent facilitated by the Sewel Convention, and the taking and exercise of delegated powers by UK Ministers in devolved areas.
• Explore how inter-parliamentary work can aid the scrutiny of intergovernmental activity and lead to an increase in transparency and accountability.