Government of Wales Bill

Given the time pressures, I do not intend to reiterate what the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Hywel Williams) said in relation to amendments Nos. 13 and 16, which we have supported. At the very least, those are important probing amendments, to which the Secretary of State should respond. We are less inclined to support amendment No. 124 and new clause 10. Our interpretation is that proposed new subsection (2) makes it clear that the referendum would have no effect on the commencement of full law-making powers in respect of the Welsh language, and that if a future referendum were lost, that would likewise have no impact on full law-making powers in this area. Amendment No. 124 therefore makes it clear that, effectively, none of the commencement provisions in clause 104 apply to the assumption of full law-making powers in respect of the Welsh language, which would come into effect on 1 April 2007 should new clause 10 be passed. We would prefer all the subjects set out in schedule 7, including the Welsh language, to be subject to a referendum. We see no case for stripping out the Welsh language from that list of subjects.