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Government of Wales Bill

We feel that this amendment is too restrictive and prescriptive. Eight Ministers does not encompass the functions of the Assembly. In Part 1 of Schedule 5 it is interesting to see all the fields that the Welsh Assembly covers; it lists as many as 20. That is approaching the kind of figure that the noble Lord, Lord Roberts, said existed in Scotland. It is clear that some of the headings of the fields of Assembly responsibility could be combined. Agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development are clearly one responsibility, as at present. On the other hand, field two is ancient monuments and historic buildings. I do not think that any Minister would wish to be described like that; I am not sure whether he would have a very long shelf life. Other areas are, understandably, combined at the moment: culture and the Welsh language; economic development; education and training. The environment is a field in itself. The list runs through the fields of health, highways and transport, housing, local government, social welfare, and tourism, which are all very important. There is also, for example, water and flood defences, and town and country planning. When you start to work your way through those functions, you see that eight Ministers is an inadequate number. We agree with the wording of Clause 51, which lays down that there will be 12 Ministers. That seems sensible, particularly in the fields that I have just listed.