---

Government of Wales Bill

I rise to speak to amendment No. 130 and to talk about the principle under discussion. I understand the Secretary of State’s dislike of the system as it stands, but having listened to the debate, I can say with fair confidence that, regardless of how inconvenient it may be for some of us that regional list Members may purport to focus primarily on a constituency, there is nevertheless a compelling democratic case to allow that to happen. I start where the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) left off: unless I am very much mistaken, one is entitled to stand for election in two constituencies in a general election. However, if one is elected in both seats, one must decide which to represent.