On 20 October 2015, the UK Government published the draft Wales Bill. The overall purpose of the Bill is to implement the UK Government’s St David’s Day “Agreement” of February 2015 in order to establish a clear and lasting devolution settlement for Wales. That agreement followed the publication of the Silk II report in 2014. The Silk report concluded that the Welsh devolution scheme was unstable and unclear and that there was often uncertainty over which government – the UK or Welsh Governments – was responsible for which policy area. The report recommended the move from a conferred powers model to a reserved powers model in order to provide greater clarity and certainty regarding the division of powers between the UK and the Welsh Assembly.

This briefing examines the background to the draft Bill, its principal features, and the provisions concerning ministerial powers.