Government of Wales Bill

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for making that point clear, and I fully understand what he says. My great concern is partly based on the fact that even in the current position, progress is extremely slow. Progress will be slow under the arrangements in the Bill, too, but it would be slower still if the hon. Gentleman’s solution, which may well appear reasonable at first sight, were adopted. Let me tell the House about one actual instrument that was recently processed through this place and the National Assembly; the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2005. Here is a brief chronology. The process started on 10 April 2002, when this House implemented legislation to reduce notice periods that must be given by local authorities and the police regarding the removal of abandoned vehicles. Some Members may recall having dealt with the substance of that debate. From April 2002 to February 2003, the Welsh Assembly Government lobbied the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support the devolution of the relevant powers on reduction of notice periods and so on. In February 2003 there was a submission to the Minister in Cardiff for permission to seek DEFRA’s permission for a transfer of functions order and to consult Welsh stakeholders, which was then done. In August, the Minister at DEFRA wrote to his opposite number in Cardiff agreeing to a transfer of functions order when convenient to the House of Commons timetable. That was because a suitable vehicle needed to be programmed into the Westminster process; it is not available on demand. In September it became clear that the abandoned vehicle powers would have to wait for a larger transfer of functions order. In March 2004 the Minister at the Wales Office wrote to the Minister in Cardiff that the powers would have to wait for the transfer of functions order relating to animal health later that year. That was to avoid Parliament being criticised for putting through a separate transfer of functions order. In July the National Assembly approved a draft transfer of functions order. In November it was passed by both Houses of Parliament. On 31 December it came into force, and a motion to delegate functions under the transfer of functions order was scheduled for discussion on 18 January 2005. That did not take place, for various operational reasons. Another motion to delegate under the transfer of functions order was rescheduled for 2 February. There were 11 explanatory notes and summary tables, which were e-mailed to Assembly Members at 2.12 on Thursday 27 January, at short notice. The story went on until November last year; and this was an uncontentious piece of legislation. Imagine what would have happened if it had been contentious.