I’m Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, the Chair of the Senedd’s Finance Committee. On Thursday 16 June, Members of the Senedd’s Finance Committee and the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee held the inaugural meeting of the Interparliamentary Finance Committee Forum in Edinburgh.
Although only Members from Finance Committees in Wales and Scotland were present for the first meeting, the Forum is also open to Members from the Northern Ireland Assembly Finance Committee who may join at a future date once that Committee is established. Other Parliamentary Committees may also be invited to attend as appropriate.
These type of forums are an extremely helpful way to get Members together to discuss various topics, increase opportunities for collaboration and provide a collective space to share information.
The Interparliamentary Forum on Brexit and its successor, the Interparliamentary Forum, are excellent examples of how interparliamentary working could work, and we intend to build on this approach.
The primary purpose of the Forum is to provide a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between parliamentarians on financial issues of common interest and concern.
As Finance Committees in devolved legislatures we often face similar challenges and I look forward to working with colleagues as much as possible in the future, in order to share experiences and best practice.
This includes sharing insight and learning on forecasting, fiscal frameworks, and the use of financial levers by devolved governments, as well as comparing ways in which Finance Committees can support a greater public understanding of parliamentary budget scrutiny.
This will put us in the best position to hold the UK Government to account effectively on the significant fiscal and budgetary issues that affect us all.
