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Government of Wales Bill

That is a different point. Nearly every Opposition Member who has spoken has said that the changes are gerrymandering, but that is not the case. The current system is rigged, and the dual ballot paper confuses people when they cast their votes. In 1999, the Labour party picked up some 34 per cent. of the vote in the second ballot in north Wales, but it got no seats, which was grossly unfair. Just as we are amending the Assembly’s corporate status in the Bill, we should amend the electoral system. If we are serious about proportional representation, let us make the system proportional. It would be fairer to separate the second ballot paper from the first, in which case people would elect the Member whom they want to represent them in the constituency in the first ballot and top that up in the second ballot by voting for the party that they want to represent them. The system was rigged to help minority parties and independents, but it does not, because the outcome has not been that which was first envisaged. I urge the Minister to address that problem in his winding-up speech.