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Government of Wales Bill

This has been a good debate, and the fact that it is now 8.11 pm and we have all this time to debate this issue proves what an excellent programme motion we tabled. Most of the issues were discussed in Committee, and I know that the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Hywel Williams) is seeking some reassurance on them. I hope that I shall be able to help him. The right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) also made some points on the amendments, and I hope to be able to reassure him as well. Amendment No. 17 would alter the obligation on the Assembly to treat English and Welsh equally in the conduct of its proceedings so that, rather than using the formulation in the Government of Wales Act 1998 that everyone accepts has worked well, the Assembly would have to do so"““save in exceptional cases where it is not reasonably possible to do so””." The Bill provides minimum legal requirements with which the Assembly must comply. The new legislature should have some limited discretion to decide on its own procedures in this respect, which is what clause 35 proposes. We are not in a position now to say what will not be ““reasonably possible”” in relation to treating the Welsh and English languages on a basis of equality, but that is what the amendment suggests, by including the condition relating to ““exceptional cases””. The hon. Member for Caernarfon tried to come up with an example of an exceptional case, and he suggested that a document that was about to be superseded by a new one would present just such a case. However, that would not be exceptional at all; it happens quite regularly. It is actually quite difficult to provide examples of cases that would be considered exceptional. It has been suggested that the amendment would enhance moves towards full equality of the two languages in the Assembly, but good and continuing progress is already being made under the existing provision. Last year, for example, the Assembly began producing part-bilingual verbatim transcripts of its Committee proceedings on a routine basis. The amendment is therefore unnecessary. The hon. Gentleman sought reassurance that issues relating to the Welsh language would be taken forward, and that there was a commitment to bilingualism in the Assembly. I can give him that assurance. Clause 61 already gives Welsh Ministers the power to do anything that they consider ““appropriate”” to support the Welsh language. Together with the Welsh Ministers’ functions under the Welsh Language Act 1993, this provides a broad basis for promoting the Welsh language. The hon. Gentleman spoke at some length to new clause 10. We believe that the new clause is unnecessary because legislative competence for the Assembly on matters relating to the Welsh language could be sought under the Order in Council process in part 3 of the Bill. Immediately after the part 3 powers come into effect, following Royal Assent, in May 2007, it will be possible for an Assembly Minister or a Committee of the Assembly to ask for powers relating to the Welsh language to address any of the issues that the hon. Gentleman raised, including those relating to speech therapists.