Corporate report

Intergovernmental Relations Annual Report 2022

Published 30 March 2023

Reporting period 1 January to 31 December 2022

Reporting on intergovernmental working between the UK government, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

This information is also available on the GOV.UK website.

Foreword

2022 was a tough year for our country. A war in Ukraine, world-wide inflation and COVID-19 aftershocks reaching across Europe and right into our homes, to hike-up heating bills and hit household budgets. But the year also showed the resilience of the United Kingdom and what we can achieve when we work together.

Taking office in the autumn, the Prime Minister committed this government to fixing these problems affecting people across the UK.

But this is not a one-government job – or the ambition of one government alone. That is why on day one, the Prime Minister spoke with the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, and travelled to Northern Ireland to meet with party leaders shortly after. In November, the Prime Minister hosted all governments at the first Prime Minister and UK Heads of Devolved Governments meeting in Blackpool.

Our governments committed urgently to address the challenges we all face together.

Together, we can achieve the things we all want for the people in this great country: a stable economy, a stronger health service, better schools, safer streets, more jobs.

Finding homes around the country for over a hundred thousand Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s war. Helping people with rising living costs, through energy and household support schemes. Ensuring everyone across the UK could pay their respects to Her Majesty The Late Queen Elizabeth II through a round-the- clock 10-day nationwide operation.

“We can see that great things happen when we work together in partnership, pooling our strengths, assets and knowledge.”

All of this and much more is laid out in this report. This records the hours, days, months of phone calls, emails and meetings that ministers and civil servants have spent working in the national interest over the last year. The Intergovernmental Relations Review set up structures to pave the way for smoother collaboration. The first Islands Forum in Orkney allowed the voices of our islands to be heard more clearly. Through these forums, we can make sure that we can share our views and learn from different approaches across our great country.

There are a number of significant UK events and landmarks in the year ahead. In May, the UK will celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King. We will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in April.

In Northern Ireland, the Government has re-written the Protocol Treaty and replaced it with a legally binding new Windsor Framework following months of intensive negotiations. We have found a balance for all parts of the community - unionist, nationalist and everyone in between to get a deal that brings peace and stability. I also look forward to working with Scotland’s new First Minister Rt Hon Humza Yousaf MSP, building on the constructive relationship I have had with Nicola Sturgeon in recent years on important matters such as our COVID-19 response, vaccine roll out and Homes for Ukraine.

By building on the progress demonstrated in this Annual Report, by working together with the devolved administrations, we will achieve our objectives and face new challenges.

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

2022 in summary

2022 was a significant year for intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom. New forums were set up and met for the first time, and meetings held between heads of government. All of which bolstered the government and the devolved administrations’ commitment to working together on shared challenges and opportunities for the benefit of citizens across the UK.

There were a total of 277 intergovernmental ministerial meetings in 2022.

Ministerial meetings, along with daily engagement between civil servants, ensured that the government and devolved administrations were working together at all levels.^{[footnote 1]}

The year 2022 saw continued engagement on issues that matter most to citizens. At the beginning of the year, there were meetings on the continuing impact of COVID-19, as well as the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Therefore, despite having less overall meetings in 2022 than in the previous year, due to the UK government’s leadership changes and suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive, the government continued to engage with the devolved administrations on pressing and important issues, such as tackling the cost of living, health and the environment.

Topics of intergovernmental meetings between ministers^{[footnote 2]}

Environment 20 meetings

Health and COVID-19 40 meetings

Ukraine 30 meetings

Economy and Cost of Living 60 meetings

Transport 100 meetings

Commemoration of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 10 meetings

Number of meetings between the UK government and Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government and Welsh Government in 2022

Quarter	Number of meetings
January - March	110
April - June	57
July - September	50
October - December	60

Tackling the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 variants, responding to the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and a continued focus on delivering net zero commitments meant that a large proportion of the meetings in 2022 took place between January and March.

Moving into Quarter 2 and Quarter 3, that focus shifted onto supporting those displaced by the conflict in Ukraine and addressing cost of living pressures on the UK public. In addition, Quarter 3 saw strong intergovernmental working to deliver events to commemorate the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Quarter 4 broke new ground in intergovernmental relations with the first Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council. Meetings also continued to take place on tackling cost of living pressures and support for Ukraine.

Number of meetings between UK government and Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government or Welsh Government in 2022 by quarter and by department

* Sections with less than or equal to 2 meetings are not labelled.

Highlights from 2022

Introductory meetings between the Prime Minister and devolved administration ministers

The inaugural meeting of the Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council, which took place in Blackpool in November, was the cornerstone of intergovernmental engagement last year. The Council had been established under the new ways of working between the Government and the devolved administrations under the Intergovernmental Relations Review agreed earlier in the year. It provided an important opportunity for the Prime Minister and First Ministers to discuss how to tackle key issues facing the UK, including global inflation, and pressures on the cost of living and the UK’s health care systems.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, gave an overview of the current economic picture and heard from the then First Minister of Scotland, Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, and the First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, on their priorities for the Autumn Statement. Since then, the governments have been working together to build on the foundations laid at this meeting and further our economic goals.

In December, the leaders of Stormont’s five main political parties met Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP on his first visit to Northern Ireland as Prime Minister, with meetings focusing on the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and the energy payment scheme.

The 38th British-Irish Council Summit

The British-Irish Council has played a significant role in intergovernmental relations, ever since it was established by the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The Council enables ministers to meet and discuss common challenges and opportunities with the aim of promoting ‘the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of the peoples of these islands’. Membership of the Council is made up of representatives of the UK and Irish governments, Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Jersey.

In November, the UK government hosted the British-Irish Council in Blackpool. This summit provided government representatives the opportunity to visit and learn from locally-based interventions to challenges they also face. Ministers were invited to visit the Blackpool Lightworks and Lancashire Energy HQ, both sited on the Blackpool Enterprise Zone. The insights from these visits prompted further discussion about recent investment in business and education facilities around the UK, such as the cyber security cluster in South East Wales, the Scottish Government’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan, and City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland. A number of areas were identified for future collaboration, among them modern methods of energy efficient housing construction, development of green skills and wind and renewable energy investment.

The overall focus of the 38th Summit was the difficult financial situation faced by all administrations - and with the Council falling in the same week as COP27, ministers were also particularly conscious of the challenge of climate change and carbon commitments. The Summit was opened by the Prime Minister, who welcomed ministers and civil servants from Ireland, the UK and the Crown Dependencies to Blackpool. It was a landmark moment to have the Prime Minister attend a British- Irish Council Summit for the first time in 15 years. This also provided the opportunity to hold the first Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council, making 2022 a milestone year in intergovernmental relations.

Major events

2022 saw the UK come together in moments of national celebration and creativity, as well as in national mourning. These provided opportunities to strengthen communication and collaboration between governments across the nations.

This year marked the tenth anniversary of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit (EICS). The Summit is a meeting of international culture ministers, arts leaders and artists hosted in the Scottish Parliament every two years. The UK government works with the Scottish Government, British Council, Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh International Festival to provide financial and strategic support to the EICS Foundation to deliver the Summit. The sixth Summit on 26 and 28 August was an opportunity for the UK and Scottish governments to showcase the whole of the UK as a global leader in cultural diplomacy and to promote Scottish and British culture to an international audience. Government ministers also took the opportunity to visit the Festivals in Edinburgh during their 75th anniversary year.

In July and August, Birmingham hosted the 22nd Commonwealth Games featuring thousands of world-class athletes and over 1.5 million spectators. Athletes from across the UK and Crown Dependencies were central in delivering a successful and inclusive Games and helped to unite the whole of the UK in celebration.

Four days at the beginning of June saw dedicated and expert police officers across the nations of the UK work around the clock to ensure smooth and safe celebrations for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s II Platinum Jubilee. Thousands of officers supported local community events, engaging positively with the public and demonstrating the best of policing, which meant that an estimated 16.5 million members of the public could take part.

The UK government worked in close partnership with the devolved administrations to ensure that communities the length and breadth of the country had opportunities to mark this historic moment. These included ‘Big Lunches’ and street parties to bring together neighbourhoods, the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative to plant a tree for the Jubilee and screen sites in capital cities.

Shortly after the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, all the home nations of the UK participated in the Queen’s Baton Relay. This was the precursor to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with police providing protection as it travelled around the country. This support continued to the Commonwealth Games themselves, which took place between 28 July and 8 August. Specialist officers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland supported the policing operation in the West Midlands. In addition, Police Scotland shared knowledge and lessons from their experiences of policing COP26, which helped strengthen plans.

On 8 September, following the tragic passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, UK- wide police forces activated their plans for Operation Unicorn, Operation London Bridge and accompanying plans for the accession of His Majesty The King (Operation Spring Tide), a 10-day operation delivered across the UK. Detailed policing plans had been developed in advance and undergone rigorous testing and exercising to ensure they were ready whenever they were needed.

This was the first royal state funeral since the Queen’s Father, King George VI in 1952, with the only other state funeral being held for Winston Churchill in 1965. Operation London Bridge was the largest ever mobilisation of specialist protection officers. The Ministry of Defence Police were amongst the 5,000 officers brought in as reinforcements from forces all across the UK to ensure the state funeral was a safe and secure event.

The detailed plans for the State Funeral made sure national and local operations ran concurrently, and saw a seamless handover of responsibilities at regional and national borders. It meant security, police and government leads in all home nations had a consistent approach to policing and meant that the public across the UK were able to pay their respects in one of the most monumental events of a generation.

The successful policing of these major events and strong collaboration across the UK was positively received by the general public.

Homes for Ukraine scheme

Government engagement with the devolved administrations has played an invaluable role in the UK-wide response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, particularly through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which has helped over 117,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war to find homes with families across the UK.

In summer 2022, John Stuart, who lives in Buckie (a small coastal town in the north east of Scotland), welcomed Lena into his home, after travelling on her first flight ever to the UK from Ukraine. Lena has spoken about the peace and calmness of the quiet seaside town, compared to the chaos of the conflict she left behind.

In South Wales, Nadii and her daughter were taken in by Nathan Gardner and his family after fleeing the Ukraine war. Nadii is now working in a restaurant in Cardiff and her daughter continues with her Ukrainian school curriculum.

The continuing collaboration between the governments has seen many more like Nadii and Lena find safe refuge in the UK from the conflict in Ukraine.

The Islands Forum

The inaugural meeting of the Islands Forum was held in Orkney in September 2022. The forum was established to bring together island communities from across the UK to see how best to tackle common challenges such as connectivity, infrastructure and demographic trends.

‘Net Zero’ was chosen as the theme of the first forum after consulting with forum members. Our islands are leaders in renewable energy, but face challenges due to their island status. Government officials worked closely with island representatives and colleagues in the devolved administrations to compile a programme that showcased island innovations and focused on issues for island communities. This was so that governments could better understand island perspectives and inform future policy development.

Hosted by Orkney Islands Council at the Orkney Research & Innovation Campus, the Forum meeting focused on net zero opportunities for islands and was attended by council leaders and chief executives representing all eligible island communities from across the UK. Delegates were also given the opportunity to visit several renewable energy projects in Orkney, as part of a tour hosted by Orkney Islands Council and the European Marine Energy Centre.

The forum meeting was chaired by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, supported by Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison MP and Scotland Office Minister Lord Offord of Garvel. The devolved administrations were represented at the meeting by the Northern Ireland Minister John O’Dowd MLA, Scottish Government Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Richard Lochhead MSP, and the Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP also joined the meeting virtually to discuss the government’s Net Zero Review, how islands could share their perspectives and best practices, and how islands are contributing to the transition to net zero more broadly.

During the meeting, attendees discussed island net zero innovations and barriers, and recognised the importance of bringing together wider stakeholders, including from academia and the public and private sectors.

The forum agreed to improve cooperation on net zero and look at how islands can access the government funded ‘Net Zero Go’ platform. This is a free-to-use online tool that allows members to create, develop, and manage successful local energy projects, as well as share information on funding opportunities and work together on island-focused net zero projects.

Following input from island communities, the government convened a discussion with Ofgem attended by the Chief Executive, Jonathan Brearley. This gave islands the chance to share their views with the energy regulator regarding the rules limiting net zero ambitions and explore next steps to addressing them.

There was also a panel discussion, as proposed by forum members, with industry experts on influencing government policy development.

The forum had a positive reception. The then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, commented that the UK Islands Forum had been a “wonderful way” to bring island communities together, with the Levelling Up Minister, Dehenna Davison MP, saying that the first meeting in Orkney set the UK on “a path that will pay real dividends in the years to come.”

“I am really encouraged that this first Islands Forum here on Orkney sets us on a path that will pay real dividends in the years to come.”

Levelling Up Minister, Dehenna Davison MP

The next Islands Forum is due to take place in mid-2023.

Intergovernmental Activity in Quarter 4

(1 October - 31 December 2022)

Maintaining strong relationships with the devolved administrations has been central to the UK government’s approach in a number of key policy areas.

Economy

In this quarter, discussions between the government and devolved administrations predominantly revolved around how best to respond to pressures on the cost of living. In October, the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rt Hon Ed Argar MP met with the then Scottish Government’s Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans MS, and Northern Ireland’s former Finance Minister, Conor Murphy MLA, to provide an overview on the economic and fiscal position. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon John Glen MP, also held a series of bilateral calls with Minister Swinney MSP and Minister Evans MS to provide an update on the economic picture and to hear their priorities for the Autumn Statement.

October saw the Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon David TC Davies MP, meet with the First Minister for Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, to discuss joint work on the Freeports programme and secondary legislation, as well as committing to working closely and maintaining strong relationships between the UK and Welsh Governments. The Secretary of State for Wales also joined the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, Mims Davies MP, at the Welsh Government Committee on Cost of Living chaired by the First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS.

In December, the Secretary of State for Wales and then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, met with Welsh Government Minister for the Economy Vaughan Gething MS to discuss the future of the Newport Wafer Fab semiconductor plant, after the acquisition by Nexperia BV.

On a visit to Belfast in early October, the former Minister for Exports, Marcus Fysh MP, met with Gordon Lyons MLA, the then Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy, as part of ongoing collaboration between the UK government, the NI Executive and Invest Northern Ireland to support NI businesses.

Energy Support

In 2022, significant government intervention was needed to provide support for households grappling with soaring energy costs. This required close working between the UK and devolved administrations to make sure this help reached households all over the UK.

Energy markets in Northern Ireland operate differently to those in Great Britain. In consultation with Northern Ireland Ministers, the government committed to deliver help in Northern Ireland that would be equivalent to that for the rest of the UK. Engagement continued into the final quarter of the year to support that commitment.

On 13 October, the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, met with NI Finance Minister Conor Murphy MLA to discuss progress on implementing the government-led Energy Bills Support Scheme in Northern Ireland, and further support for households using alternative fuels.

In the Autumn Statement, it was announced that the Energy Price Guarantee scheme would be extended, capping the unit price for electricity and gas so household bills would be no more than £2,500 between October 2022 to March 2023, and then

£3,000 until April 2024. This was launched separately in Northern Ireland by the UK government. Ministers and officials worked closely with their NI counterparts and energy providers to ensure that households in Northern Ireland would receive support equivalent to the rest of Great Britain.

The UK government also launched the Alternative Fuel Payment scheme, doubling the level of support for households that use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, coal or biomass, to heat their homes. However, in recognition of the prevalence of alternative fuel usage in Northern Ireland (68% of households there use alternative fuels), this support went to all households in Northern Ireland, along with the money they received under the Energy Bill Support Scheme, in the form of a single £600 payment in January 2023.

Social Security

Close working between governments has been vital when different systems operate across the UK on certain policy, particularly when it comes to social security. This was the focus of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) engagement with the Scottish Government as part of its work supporting the safe and secure transfer of certain disability and carer’s benefits to Holyrood. This is a commitment of the UK government, as the Scotland Act 2016 devolves social security powers for benefits worth around £3bn to the Scottish Parliament. Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, John Lamont MP, had two introductory meetings with Ben Macpherson MSP, the Scottish Government Minister for Social Security and Local Government, to discuss progress on this priority in Quarter 4.

Education

The devolved administrations have their own education powers. Collaboration is needed to ensure the different systems within the UK compliment and operate alongside each other. In October, Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, had introductory meetings with Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and Welsh Language in the Welsh Government, and Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in the Scottish Government, to discuss exams and qualifications in 2023.

In December, the Secretary of State for Education also attended the third UK Education Ministers Council (UKEMC), an Interministerial Group on Education, in Cardiff. This was hosted by the Welsh Government and attended by representatives from the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive. The UKEMC discussed recent developments and challenges relating to the rising cost of living, general and vocational qualifications and lifelong learning.

Trade

International trade is a reserved power, but engagement between the government and the devolved administrations is especially important when it comes to making new trade deals. The UK government could, for example, be exploring an agreement that affects domestic regulation, many areas of which are devolved.

During this quarter, there was focus on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Australia and New Zealand, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Gulf Cooperation Council FTAs, as well as the US Memorandum of Understanding being negotiated with individual states of the USA. Various meetings took place between ministers from the government and the devolved administrations. The Secretary of State for International Trade, Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, met with the Scottish Government Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee MSP, on a visit to Scotland in October.

The then Minister for Trade Policy, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, met with Minister McKee MSP, and separately with the Welsh Government’s Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething MS on intergrated trade policy. The then Minister for International Trade, Nigel Huddleston MP, also met bilaterally with both devolved administration ministers.

The then Minister for Exports Marcus Fysh MP met with the then Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland, Gordon Lyons MLA, on a visit to Belfast in October, as part of ongoing collaboration between the UK government, the NI Executive and Invest Northern Ireland on supporting NI businesses and boost imports.

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, also visited Belfast in November, and visited Belfast Port and Devenish Nutrition with the Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Steve Baker MP.

Health

Health continued to be one of the top priorities for the administrations of the UK and engagement between them was instrumental in 2022 to support health services across the UK. This was demonstrated by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, having a productive introductory meeting with his counterparts in the devolved administrations in October.

The Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care, Will Quince MP, also met with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in Scotland, Humza Yousaf MSP, for a discussion on UK wide supply of antibiotics in response to the increase in paediatric cases of the Strep-A virus. Minister Quince MP then had a second bilateral meeting with Humza Yousaf MSP during the winter recess to discuss COVID-19 testing policy with regard to travel from China.

The Chief Medical Officers for all four governments and their deputies met regularly to discuss public health issues across the UK. The UK Health Protection Committee, which is attended by representatives from all four nations’ governments and public health agencies, met in December. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) met with devolved counterparts in November discussing a range of health protection issues.

In 2022, two COVID-19 booster campaigns were delivered across the UK in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, with over 37 million doses administered, including the latest bivalent vaccines. The UK government and devolved administrations continue to work together in 2023 on COVID-19 vaccine deployment so approaches are aligned and protection boosted against severe illness and hospitalisation in the most vulnerable across the UK.

Environment and Transport

Different systems and approaches to transport and the environment have been developed in each nation of the UK over nearly 25 years of devolution. However, nations face similar issues, challenges and opportunities, which is why constant engagement between governments has been so important.

Interminististerial Groups, which include representatives from all governments, are essential to this engagement. The Net Zero Interministerial Group met in October, in which the former Minister for Energy and Climate, Graham Stuart MP, discussed energy supply, affordability and the Net Zero Review. The Interministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (IMG EFRA) also met in December to discuss the UK’s position for the UN Biological Diversity conference (COP 15) taking place in Montreal.

Joint-priorities between the government and the devolved administrations were discussed, namely halting and reversing global biodiversity loss by 2030 and protecting 30% of global land and ocean, as well as the Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package. The primary purpose of this package is energy generation, seeking to deliver the British Energy Security Strategy commitment to accelerate offshore wind, one of the most ambitious projects of this nature anywhere. Devolved administration ministers set out the importance of delivering the provisions in a way that supports our shared offshore wind ambition whilst respecting devolution. The Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Lord Benyon, agreed that there is a need to work with devolved administrations to make sure we can achieve our mutual objectives.

Coal formed a focus for discussion between the UK government and the Welsh Government in the last quarter. The Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon David TC Davies MP, and the First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, jointly chaired a meeting of the Coal Tips Summit in November, where the Coal Tips Safety Programme and the Welsh Government’s planned legislation in this area were discussed.

The seafood industry and the UK’s seaside community is a national asset for the UK, and Scottish coastal areas play a key role in this, which means regular collaboration between the UK government, the Scottish Government and essential local partners.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, John Lamont MP, chaired the Scottish Seafood Industry Action Group, which was attended by Mairi Gougeon MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, and discussed the impacts of the ongoing energy crisis, spatial pressures in the marine environment and labour issues.

Further engagement with the Scottish Government took place in December with a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Bus Taskforce, attended by the Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Richard Holden MP. The meeting discussed industry challenges relating to driver shortages, reduced patronage and fuel costs, as well as exploring a strategy to improve bus services in the long term.

Delivering Cultural Programmes across the UK

The UK has been looking to host the UEFA EURO tournament in 2028 with Ireland and the work between all governments has been vital in progressing a joint-bid. On 9 November, the then Minister for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society and Minister for Equalities, Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, met with Welsh Government Minister Vaughan Gething MS, Scottish Government Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Neil Gray MSP, the Irish Government’s former Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers TD, and officials from Northern Ireland, ahead of the Football Associations submitting a preliminary bid to UEFA on 16 November.

On the domestic front, the then Secretary of State for the department previously known as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, met with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP, in December to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the culture and creative sectors.

In addition, the then Minister of State for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure, Rt Hon Julia Lopez MP, had a meeting in November with Ivan McKee MSP, the Scottish Government Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, to discuss Project Gigabit in Scotland, which included funding, procurement and hard to reach premises. Minister McKee MSP said the Scottish Government was committed to providing a delivery plan on Project Gigabit in Scotland in January 2023 and to have a procurement strategy in place by Summer 2023.

International

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has its joint-headquarters in East Kilbride in Scotland. On 2 November, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, visited the FCDO’s joint-headquarters at Abercrombie House in East Kilbride to host a reception for Scottish-based Consul Generals, with a further visit in November to meet Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary Angus Robertson MSP to discuss foreign policy priorities.

England and Wales’ men’s football teams took part in the FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar during November and December. As part of their visits to Qatar to support the Welsh team’s participation, the Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon David TC Davies MP, and the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething MS, jointly met with the CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority. This reflected the joint efforts of the UK and Welsh Government to attract investment to Wales, with ministers highlighting areas such as offshore wind, semiconductors and the creative sector during the meeting.

In the final quarter of the year, His Majesty’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners included Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as an important part of their visit programmes. The Ambassador-designate to Switzerland and Liechtenstein met with Scottish Government officials in Edinburgh in December.

Safety and security

Coming top of all governments’ agenda is the safety and security of the people of the UK. Crime and Policing Minister Rt Hon Chris Philp MP met the Scottish Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance MSP, to discuss a range of issues spanning the ‘Swift,

Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’ white paper, drug check-in facilities, pill press regulations and drug use enforcement. Both ministers engaged in positive discussion, building on the excellent engagement between the Home Office and Scottish Government. On a visit to Scotland in December, the Minister for Security, Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MBE MP, held a bilateral meeting with Keith Brown MSP, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, to discuss a range of issues across the security portfolio.

Progress has also been made between the Ministry of Justice and the Welsh Government around the findings of the Thomas Commission, which reviewed how the justice system operates in Wales. This includes the development of accessible digital court services and sharing Welsh-specific data between the UK government and Welsh Government to help in delivering a residential women’s centre in Swansea.

Common Frameworks Programme Delivery Update

Common Frameworks are the agreed ways of working between the UK government and the devolved administrations to support management of powers returned from the EU across the UK. The UK government’s and devolved administrations’ aim is to enable regulatory divergence to occur in a managed way which works for the UK as a whole. On 19 December, the Resources and Waste Common Framework was published on gov.uk to show the successful collaborative and pragmatic working between the Government and the devolved administrations.

Parliamentary activity

During 2022, as part of its commitment to strong and transparent relations with the UK Parliament, UK government ministers gave evidence to various Select Committees on a range of topics that required close intergovernmental working.

Scottish Affairs Committee

• Scotland Office ministers answered questions regarding intergovernmental relations at their regular accountability sessions with the Committee in June and November. Secretary of State for Scotland Rt Hon Alister Jack MP and Lord Offord of Garvel attended both sessions. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland John Lamont MP attended the November session, and former minister Iain Stewart attended the June session.
• Rt Hon John Glen MP, whilst in the role of Minister of State (Economic Secretary), gave evidence to the Committee in May on access to cash and cash transactions.
• Robert Courts MP, the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport, gave evidence on airports in Scotland in February.
• In November, Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, Minister of State (Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire), gave evidence on the issue of firearms licences in Scotland.
• In December, the Committee heard from the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, around the issue of military shipbuilding.
• In March, Baroness Goldie DL, Minister of State for Defence, gave evidence on defence in Scotland and the military landscape across Scotland.

Welsh Affairs Committee

• Wales Office ministers attended three separate sessions of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee during 2022. Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon David TC Davies MP gave evidence to the Committee with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of Wales, Dr James Davies MP, in November. Whilst in the role of Parliamentary Under Secretary of Wales, Rt Hon David TC Davies MP also gave evidence to the Committee, alongside the then Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Simon Hart MP, in February and June.
• In March, Neil O’Brien MP, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Levelling Up, The Union, and Constitution), gave evidence on Levelling Up and the constitution.
• The former Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, gave evidence in June on grid capacity.
• Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP, the then Minister for Climate at the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, gave evidence in November on offshore floating windfarms off the coast of Wales.

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

• Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, gave evidence on the work of the Secretary of State in March, with the current Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, giving evidence to this inquiry in October.
• Whilst in the role of Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Conor Burns MP gave evidence on the New Decade, New Approach in February and also on investment in Northern Ireland in June.
• In April, Neil O’Brien MP, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, and the then Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Conor Burns MP, both gave evidence on Levelling Up in Northern Ireland.
• Kevin Foster MP, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Immigration and Future Borders, gave evidence to the ‘Tourism and the Common Travel Area’ inquiry in April.
• In October, Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, the former Minister of State for the Department for International Trade, gave evidence to an inquiry on the work of the department in Northern Ireland.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

• Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, gave evidence to the committee on the work of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in March.
• The former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, gave evidence to the Committee on the work of the Cabinet Office.
• The former Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, gave evidence on the ‘Coronavirus Act 2020 - Two Years On’ in February.

House of Commons Defence Committee

• Secretary of State for Defence Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP gave evidence to the ‘National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh’ non-inquiry session in July.
• Leo Docherty MP, the then Minister for Defence People and Veterans, gave evidence to the committee in June on the work of the Office for Veterans Affairs.
• Baroness Annabel Goldie, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, gave evidence to the Committee on the role of women in the UK Armed Forces in November.

European Scrutiny Committee

• The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Rt Hon James Cleverley MP, gave evidence in November on the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee

• Neil O’Brien MP, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling up, the Union and the Constitution, gave evidence in January as part of the Committee’s scrutiny programme.

Legislative Consent Mechanisms (LCMs)

In 2022, a total of 18 legislative consent motions (LMCs) across 13 pieces of legislation, were passed by the devolved legislatures on the advice of the devolved administrations. Also, three supplementary LCMs were passed across three pieces of legislation which had already received LCMs in 2021.

Annex A - Glossary of abbreviations

AGO   Attorney General’s Office

BEIS   Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

CO   Cabinet Office

DCMS   Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

DEFRA   Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

DfE   Department for Education

DfT   Department for Transport

DHSC   Department of Health and Social Care

DIT   Department for International Trade

DLUHC   Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

DWP   Department for Work and Pensions

EU  European Union

FCDO   Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

HMT   Her Majesty’s Treasury

HO   Home Office

MoD   Ministry of Defence

MoJ   Ministry of Justice

NIO  Northern Ireland Office

OSSS  Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland

OSSW   Office of the Secretary of State for Wales

1. To note, from 11 February until the end of this quarter, the Northern Ireland Executive was not in place and, as such, senior civil servants attended in the absence of ministerial representation. The data was collected through a proforma completed by departments. The analysis was quality assured by an independent analyst. ↩

2. Approximate numbers (rounded) based on reported data by departments. Ministerial meetings were categorised independently by multiple individuals by consensus where agenda or meeting content was included (89% of all meetings). Note, each meeting could cover multiple topics so the totals will not sum. In addition to these selected topics, other topics will have been covered in meetings. ↩