Government of Wales Bill

My Lords, this is a very interesting amendment. Sometimes it is a good idea to extrapolate certain circumstances from amendments and the consequences thereof. It is interesting to note that the first two First Ministers in the Assembly have been Ministers of the Crown in this place. Had they, under this legislation, been barred from addressing the Assembly on a number of matters of considerable content because they had previously been Ministers of the Crown, that would perhaps have created a very interesting situation. It is a probing amendment to determine whether the legislation is bringing about the desired result or whether it will hamstring the Assembly in getting information that is in the public interest and that of the people of Wales. This is particularly relevant to committee proceedings, for example, about important matters that may have great consequences for the public interest. I will be very interested in the Minister’s response to the amendment.