Government of Wales Bill

My Lords, there is uncertainty about the matter. I emphasise again that this is a probing amendment; because I was not sure myself what the answer was to the problem that it sought to pose to the Government. However, there has been sufficient uncertainty about the exchanges between the government Benches and the opposition and Liberal Benches for the Government to give an undertaking to go away and reflect on the clarity of what is contained in Clauses 37 and 84 in relation to what the Minister has just contended. It seems to me as well that if somebody has been a Minister of the Crown he is not required to meet the obligations under Clause 37(1) in relation to the exercise of any functions of a Minister of the Crown, even though he is no longer a Minister of the Crown. That is another area that needs clarifying. If a Member of the Welsh Assembly has been a Minister of the Crown, what are the implications for his responsibilities and accountability to the Assembly now that he is undertaking that new task? I think that is the way that the noble Lord, Lord Livsey, put it. With great respect to the Minister, I do not think that we have had as full an answer as the noble Lord, Lord Livsey, might have wanted; and certainly not as full an answer as I would want. That point was underlined by my noble friend Lord Crickhowell.