THE latest draft of the Wales Bill has been branded “over-complicated” and “bureaucratic” by a cross-party committee of AMs.

The bill, which is intended to hand further powers to Wales from Westminster, completed its journey through the House of Commons last month and is currently being scrutinised by the House of Lords.

But a report by the Assembly’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee has said the current version of the legislation would still leave Wales’s devolution behind Scotland and Northern Ireland and could leave the country with fewer powers than it had before.

The committee also criticised the failure of the draft legislation, developed by the Wales Office, to create a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction, which it said “compounds the complexity and durability” of the bill and would lead to calls for another version to replace it.

Committee chairman Huw Irranca-Davies said: “It is disappointing to see that the UK Government has not taken on many of the worthy and important recommendations made by many people and organisations, including the predecessor to this committee.

“While we accept that some changes are for the better, Wales is still left with a complicated law that threatens to roll back our existing powers and that fails to give greater parity with other devolved nations.

“The extra red tape which comes with this bill at a time when the UK Government advocates cutting bureaucracy means it may not be long before we are all back around the table trying to thrash out a new, lasting constitutional settlement for Wales, something this law was promised to be.”

The committee also criticised the speed with which the bill passed through the House of Commons, which it said left the House of Lords with “an added burden of responsibility for effective scrutiny before this bill can be passed as fit for purpose”.

Labour AM for Ogmore Mr Irranca-Davies said: “At a time when the UK is defining its relationship with Europe following the EU referendum, it should also be defining the relationship among its own member nations.

He added: “We recommend the development of new ways of working together as a matter of urgency, ideally before other major constitutional legislation is brought forward, and our committee stands ready to contribute to this work.”

A Wales Office spokesman said: “The UK Government is committed to creating a stronger Wales within the United Kingdom.

“The Wales Bill will secure a stronger, clearer and fairer devolution and is based on the cross-party St David's Day agreement.

“The calls to introduce a separate legal jurisdiction would add costs and increase complexity and have been rejected by the government and opposition in Parliament.”

The report will be presented to the House of Lords’ Constitution Committee on Wednesday, October 12.

To view the latest version of the bill visit services.parliament.uk/bills/2016-17/wales.html.