New Wales Bill expected in Queen's Speech

The Queen's Speech, setting out the UK Government's legislative plans for the next 12 months, is expected to renew its commitment to a new Wales Bill, devolving further powers to the Welsh Assembly and paving the way for it to be renamed the Welsh Parliament.

But there's likely to be several months' wait for the bill itself, after a draft version published earlier this year was widely condemned as a setback for devolution. The former Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb in march that he was "pausing" the bill after criticism from the Welsh Select Committee of MPs, which has a Conservative majority.

The committee said the Wales Office needed to challenge other Whitehall departments when they opposed powers being transferred to Cardiff Bay, The Welsh Government went so far as to prepare its own alternative bill, drawing on widespread legal and academic scrutiny of the draft legislation.

The main concern was that the bill overturned gains in powers achieved in the 2011 referendum on law-making powers and in a landmark Supreme Court judgement that permitted the Assembly to pass a law on agricultural workers' pay and conditions.

The new Welsh Secretary, Alun Cairns, will know that much still needs to be done before he can be sure that the new bill will get a better reception.