Welsh Secretary to set out devolution 'vision'

If you're trying to keep up with rapidly-changing developments to the way that Wales - and the rest of the UK - is governed, you can mark another significant stage today.

Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb is to make a speech at an event organised by the Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff setting out his vision for the next steps for devolution for Wales.

He's already said he wants all parties to agree on the way forward and to publish that blueprint by St David's Day 2015.

In his speech he's expected to add,

Since Scotland's independence referendum in September the Conservative MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire has been at the forefront of efforts in Westminster to find ways of fulfilling the 'vow' made by UK party leaders to create a new constitutional settlement.

He's held a series of 'summits' of party leaders in Parliament and has held separate conversations with party leaders in the Assembly.

And there have already been some significant changes announced by Mr. Crabb and his Liberal Democrat Wales Office minister, Baroness Randerson.

The Wales Bill currently going through parliament has been altered to give a more flexible form of income tax power to a future Welsh Government than had previously been on offer.

Such a move would still be dependent on the agreement of Welsh voters in a referendum although, in another huge change, the Assembly will now be given the power to allow sixteen and seventeen year olds to vote in that referendum.

There's also been a promise to change the law covering devolution to a model which assumes that everything is devolved to Wales unless it's explicitly stated that it remains the power of the UK Government. This is known as the 'reserved powers model' of devolution. It's unglamorous but important because it stops arguments between the two governments and costly Supreme Court cases over who's responsible for what.

I understand that, in his speech, the Welsh Secretary will try to bring all these current strands together and set out how they fit with his broader vision of the direction in which devolution is heading.

I'm less clear whether or not he'll have any new announcements to add to those I've listed above. But in a political climate where devolution has suddenly been thrust right to the top of the agenda, whatever he says will be carefully analysed for signs that the coalition government is sticking to its promises or trying to wriggle out of them.