Government of Wales Bill

The Minister has struggled hard with what is obviously a complicated aspect of the Bill. I shall withdraw the amendment, but I remain confused about how and why several fields have changed. I understand the straightforward result of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, but the inclusion of the category of transport is a little premature, given that the Transport (Wales) Bill has not completed all its parliamentary stages. It is interesting that a provision can appear in a Bill before the necessary legislation has been passed. I still fail to understand how a transfer of functions order has resulted in the functions on social services being broadened to ““social welfare””. As I said, it would be a lot easier if there were the same amount of detail in schedule 5 as in schedule 7. In view of the exceptions and the details laid out in schedule 7, it is arguable that this provision draws the powers much more widely. I hope that the Minister will write to me, because I would like to know under which field the functions in respect of inheritance tax fall, and also those in court cases involving subordinate legislation in devolved fields, and the right to be party to proceedings on compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998. That would go some way towards explaining a very opaque process, and a very imprecisely drawn part of the Bill. I am not entirely satisfied. Although the Minister has struggled valiantly, I feel that he does not really understand the details himself—which is hardly surprising. I am grateful that he has gone some way towards explaining the schedule, and I shall withdraw my amendment on the understanding that, having read what he says to me—and, I hope, the rest of the Committee—in correspondence, I may wish to revisit the matter on Report and Third Reading. For now, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.