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Commons Bill [HL]

My Lords, I thank those who have spoken in this debate. I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Renton, understood from the Minister the principles behind voluntary commons associations. They have existed for some considerable time through use in their locality. Co-ordination is one of the forms of help which these associations require. The amendment would attempt to enable a framework to emerge and encourage the voluntary commons associations to participate in it. It was difficult to decide how far to draft the amendment. If it were minimalist, it might be thought to be trivial. I detect, though I would never address it in hard language, a hint of a conspiracy between the Minister and the Conservative Front Bench in saying that the amendment is too prescriptive and hinting that there will be a federation of commons associations for Wales. As somebody who lives and works in Wales and who has represented the country for some considerable time, I know that the problem is that the National Assembly for Wales does not have the power to create this. It can achieve it only by statute in this way. I support quite a lot of the Government’s forthcoming Bill on the governance of Wales which will give the Welsh Assembly more powers.