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Government of Wales Bill

The short answer is because we are considering an emergency situation. The date on which the elections take place is established. If a variation were to occur, it would do so only because of extreme circumstances. It might fall during some kind of national emergency; it might be a national day of mourning. There might be some necessity for variation. The Secretary of State would not normally vary the date of an Assembly general election. This provision would enable him to do so when the ordinary circumstances in which the election would be fulfilled according to law had to be varied because of some national difficulty. Some action would therefore need to be taken by the executive. We are talking about a limited period of time and very limited variation. The problem is that it might not be practicable in those circumstances to proceed by Order in Council. Since the need would arise at short notice, it would have to be acted upon swiftly. It is not always possible for Orders in Council to be made at very short notice. Yet the very concept that we have here is an emergency change within a very limited number of weeks to the normal process of the election of the Assembly. Of course, I recognise sensitivities. I recognise the anxiety of the noble Lord, Lord Crickhowell, which he put forward at Second Reading and already twice today. I have no doubt that he may present arguments in future about certain powers of the Secretary of State. On this issue, I hope that he will accept that we merely seek to cope with the short-term limited and emergency situation.