Government of Wales Bill

I, too, welcome the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) to her new job on the Opposition Front Bench. I also express my sorrow at the loss of Lord Merlyn-Rees and Lord Stratford—Tony Banks—who was a good friend. He was missed when he left this House, and Parliament will certainly miss him. He was a great character, and we really lack such people. It is a very sad day. I welcome the Bill which, in the main, strikes the right balance between building on the existing settlement and addressing at least some of the problems that have arisen since devolution. However, on some issues, I would have liked it to go further. We should recognise that the Assembly is a new institution. Although there is always a temptation and, for some, a desire to run before one can walk, it is important that the Assembly establishes itself in the minds and the hearts of the people of Wales. If devolution is to be a process, the process must have the support of the people at every stage. For that reason, I do not believe that we can have a pre-defined time scale for any change to, or enhancement of, the Assembly’s powers. Equally, the people of Wales may well decide that the process has gone as far as it should. I therefore welcome the provision in the Bill for a two-thirds majority for the sanctioning of a referendum in respect of primary powers, although I cannot see the provision being used in the short or probably the medium term. The system of Orders in Council strikes the right balance, with the aim of providing the Assembly with a mechanism to modify, or address, issues not covered by statute within devolved areas while retaining the sovereignty of Parliament and clearly not extending to affecting primary legislation in non-devolved areas. I recognise that many speakers have referred to the pre-legislative scrutiny of Orders in Council and the process of how they will be considered in the House. I do not intend to go into detail on that, but hon. Members have already made it clear that the Welsh Affairs Select Committee has already considered the issue. I am sure that proposals will be made to bring forward ideas in that regard. The separation of the Executive from the legislature is a sensible change and it seems to have been welcomed on all sides. It mirrors what we have seen in local government. Unlike Lord Richard, I do not believe that there is a requirement—or more to the point, public appetite or acceptance—for an increase in the number of Assembly Members from 60 to 80. There will clearly be an increased work load and increased hours, but it is fair to say that there is scope to accommodate that.