Lloyd was being questioned yesterday by the committee alongside Paul Silk, chair of the commission, which published its ‘Silk Commission Part II: Devolving Legislative Powers to Wales’ report last month.
Establishing an intergovernmental committee is one of the report’s recommendations, along with the introduction of a “statutory code of practice on intergovernmental relations”. Lloyd said its establishment would help improve relations “between Whitehall and [officials] in Cardiff”. And Silk told the hearing that the committee would serve as a “resolution and agreement mechanism between both governments”, ensuring that controversies “don’t end up as disputes”.
The secretariat of this committee, Silk suggested, should be staffed by both the Welsh and the UK civil services.
The Wales Office said that the secretary of state is “carefully considering” each of Silk’s recommendations.