The work of the Joint Ministerial Committee
The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) comprises the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive and is the apex of formal relations between these administrations.
Memorandum of Understanding/Joint Ministerial Committee
The JMC meets in Plenary, Domestic and European formats. Procedures for the operation of the Joint Ministerial Committee are set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) set out the principles which are intended to underpin relations between the United Kingdom Government and the devolved administrations, including the commitment of the four administrations to effective communication, consultation, co-operation on matters of mutual interest, and the exchange of information, statistics and research, with due regard to the principle of confidentiality.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Supplementary Agreements
The MOU is supplemented by a number of agreements on specific areas where it is considered beneficial to promote uniform arrangements and procedures. This includes the establishment of a Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) between the United Kingdom Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee.
In addition to the JMC agreement, there are three Concordats on Co-ordination of European Union policy issues, Financial Assistance to Industry, International Relations and Statistics. The JMC is a consultative, rather than executive body and its agreements are not binding on any of the participating administrations.