---

Government of Wales Bill

That was always a perfectly foreseeable consequence of the devolutionary settlement. It is extraordinary that, only a few years down the line, the Labour party is crying foul, when it was obvious that it would run into that sort of difficulty. I move on to the question of the north Wales regional committee. The Bill makes no special provision for such a committee. The Government, who are highly south Wales centric, clearly do not appreciate the extent to which Cardiff is both geographically and spiritually distant from the rest of Wales, particularly north Wales. The provision for a north Wales regional committee was sensible and I suggest that it should be perpetuated. It is a matter of great regret that the Bill contains no such provision. The only part of the Bill that is highly desirable is the separation of the Executive from the legislature. Since its inception, the Assembly’s corporate structure has encouraged too cosy a relationship between Ministers and Committee members. I know—I speak from experience—that it is much more difficult to hold the Government to account if the relevant Minister is also a member of the same Committee. The provision set out in the Bill is entirely welcome—I support it in full—and it should have been incorporated from the outset. The corporate model was a failure. The one welcome portion of the legislation does not compensate for the general unacceptability of the Bill. This is an exercise in the underhand extension of powers to the Assembly without the authority and legitimacy conferred by a referendum of the Welsh people. The proposed electoral arrangements constitute a disgraceful device aimed at bolstering Labour’s position in the Assembly. All in all, the Bill in its present form is unwelcome and I wholeheartedly support the reasoned amendment.