Government of Wales Bill

My Lords, Amendment No. 54 of the noble Lord, Lord Rowlands, is eminently sensible. The Presiding Officer is the gatekeeper in this situation. As the noble Lord has said, the Presiding Officer has such powers in Scotland. The amendment would place a duty on the Presiding Officer to state whether any amendments to an Assembly measure were within the Assembly’s legislative competence. That is reasonable for the Presiding Officer to judge, and the Bill already provides for the Presiding Officer to state whether a measure is within the Assembly’s legislative competence. But it would be useful to clarify what happens if the measure is amended during its progress in the Assembly, as the noble Lord, Lord Rowlands, has said. That is a right and proper role for the Presiding Officer and his legal team, who we are confident are competent to adjudicate on this issue.