---

Government of Wales Bill

I offer my support for the amendment. It would appear to be anomalous that Assembly Committees cannot bring forward Measures. However, I wish to add a word of warning. In my experience of six years in the Welsh Assembly and my more limited experience in the House of Commons, I have noticed that the Committee system here works far better. I am not certain what the problem is, but it is probably to do with the number of Assembly Members and the fact that everyone knows everyone else so well. Also, most of the Committees are chaired by members of the governing party. Whatever the reason, the culture in this place is that Committees act independently and impartially and that, to some extent, people leave behind their political allegiances. That is certainly not the case in Assembly Committees, and I would therefore be cautious about suggestions that they function as well and as impartially as Committees in this place.