In our extensive debate today we have more or less rehearsed the debates that those of us who were in Parliament in 1997 had then. For that reason, it is appropriate to be concise in responding to the key points made.
We need to start looking at the big picture. We are not dealing with legislation for the next few years: it is likely that the decisions that we make today will be in force for decades and that the institution itself will exist for centuries. It is therefore appropriate that, six or seven years into the Assembly’s life, we get the terminology right. There is a difference of view, but I am surprised that the hon. Members for Caerphilly (Mr. David) and for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) think that people would be confused if ““Senedd”” meant a building as well as an institution. I presume that they are speaking from experience—that on at least one occasion the hon. Member for Monmouth got lost because both the building in which we are debating and the political institution of which we are a part are often referred to as ““the British Parliament,”” but I have never got lost like that and I have never heard of other politicians doing so. More than anything, as the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) said, changing the name would create consistency between the bricks and mortar and the politics of Wales. Hon. Members need not fear: in 10 years’ time, ““Assembly”” will have been comfortably replaced by ““Senedd””.
Government of Wales Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Lembit Opik
(Liberal Democrat)
in the House of Commons on Monday, 23 January 2006.
It occurred during Debate on bills
and
Committee of the Whole House (HC) on Government of Wales Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
441 c1172 
Session
2005-06
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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2024-01-26 17:19:57 +0000
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