That point is very well made, and I look to the Minister to clarify it. We would certainly hope to see it clarified under any possible Calman-style commission.
My final point is a reflection of some of the remarks made earlier. The contrast between the 2011 Act and the constitutional changes that it portends and the House of Lords draft Bill that we saw only this week could not be starker: pre-legislative scrutiny, the establishment of an independent commission, a Joint Committee, a draft Bill—a serious look at what will be a dramatic, radical and historic change to the governance of our country.
No less historic a change for Wales was the announcement, dealt with in eight scant days on the Floor of the House, of a quarter reduction in the number of MPs from Wales. That measure was railroaded through for what I fear were squalid, partisan and political reasons, and I am sure that the people outside this place will be concerned that the Government could apply a similarly high-handed gerrymandering approach to the potential changes to the National Assembly electoral boundaries.
Constitutional Reform (Wales)
Proceeding contribution from
Owen Smith
(Labour)
in the House of Commons on Thursday, 19 May 2011.
It occurred during Adjournment debate on Constitutional Reform (Wales).
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
528 c161WH 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
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2023-12-15 22:39:45 +0000
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