A DEBATE about the future of Wales is to be held in Parliament.

At a Welsh Grand Committee on Tuesday, the first to be held since 2018, the matter of strengthening the union will be discussed.

The UK Government’s plans to level up communities, the delivery of growth deals in every part of the country, and the provision of millions of pounds of Covid-19 support will also be considered.

One of three Grand Committees of the House of Commons along with those of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the committee is made up of the 40 Wales MPs and up to five others, and debates issues relevant to the nation.

Created in 1960 to consider the impact of policy and legislation on Wales, the debates have also taken place outside London, including in Cwmbran in 2001 and Wrexham a decade later.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart will open the debate and it will be closed by Wales Office Minister and Monmouth MP David Davies, with Swansea West MP Geraint Davies chairing.

Mr Hart said he wanted to use the event to “highlight areas including levelling up left-behind communities, and developing Wales’s renewable sector where we can work together even more productively for the benefit of the people of Wales.”

He said: “Through the difficult last two years, the UK Government has sought to keep people right across the UK safe, while keeping the economic damage wrought by the pandemic to a minimum.

“The benefits to Wales of being part of a successful and prosperous union have never been clearer, with Covid-19 vaccines procured and provided for the whole of the UK by the UK Government, the UK’s armed forces working on the frontline of health services in Wales, and massive UK-wide financial support to keep businesses going and to keep people in jobs.”

Today's debate will be broadcast on Parliament TV from 9.45am.