Government of Wales Bill

Given that we are running out of time, I shall make only one specific point that has not been mentioned so far. I support the Bill, and I support what it will keep. It will keep the foundation of the partnership that the Assembly has been able to build with people and organisations. For example, there are statutory duties to establish and maintain a ““partnership council”” with local government, to publish a ““voluntary sector scheme”” and to work with business organisations. I want to raise a concern concerning our trade union colleagues and the requirement to consult business, which does not extend to organisations that represent employees. This cannot be right. Welsh Assembly government consults trade unions and it would be incumbent on its successors to do the same. I further argue that the imbalance between the requirements for the local government voluntary sector and business organisations must be addressed in our consideration of the proposed legislation. Unions and business play a key role in this development in Wales, and the Bill does not take enough account of the need for strong working relations and consultative mechanisms between employee and employer organisations. The Bill contains a requirement for a schemes to be published for local government and for the voluntary sector, but not for business and trade unions. That should be rectified. I should be grateful if my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State would consider sympathetically an amendment on that issue.