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Government of Wales Bill

: Amendment No. 33 makes sense to us on purely devolutionary grounds. I accept that there were different views on whether hunting with dogs should be curtailed, but—leaving aside the position that each of us took at the time—surely anyone who feels that Wales should have parity with Scotland in terms of powers will recognise that the matter was devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Therefore, it seems reasonable that this issue, too, should be devolved to the Welsh Assembly. The hon. Member for Caernarfon eloquently described farmers’ specific concerns about the Hunting Act. Notwithstanding his arguments on that point, even if one supported a ban on hunting with dogs, one should recognise the principle of allowing Wales to make the decision for itself.