At the time of his retirement in September 2010, Paul Silk was Director of Strategic Projects at the House of Commons. It was announced on the 11 October that Paul Silk would head the  commission examining devolution of fiscal powers to Wales The Commission is expected to report to the UK Government on its recommendations in relation in the autumn of 2012, and during 2013. The full Terms of Reference for the Commission are available from the Wales Office.

As a practitioner he has worked both in the UK Houses of Parliament as well as playing a formative role in the development of the National Assembly for Wales (for which he was Clerk). Since his retirement, Mr Silk has acted as a consultant to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, in which capacity he plays a very active role advising legislatures all over the world on best practice and procedure. He is also contracted to update the Guide to Practice and Procedure of the Parliamentary Assembly on the Council of Europe.

In addition to this, Paul Silk has made an important contribution to the academic literature on legislatures with, in particular, his co-authored book How Parliament Works? being regarded by many as the most accessible authoritative introduction to the subject.