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Government of Wales Bill

It is my privilege, too, to welcome the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, who proposed this amendment. We go back quite a long way on Welsh affairs. It is good to see him here this afternoon. On the amendment before us, certainly our Members had a long discussion about Clause 60. It is important to look at the specific promotion points. First:"““the promotion or improvement of the economic well-being of Wales””—" we all know that the GDP of Wales is well below the UK national average. A lot certainly needs to be done about that. Then:"““the promotion or improvement of the social well-being of Wales””—" we know of many instances and communities where the social well-being is certainly not what it might be and needs to be improved. Finally, as regards the environment or its improvement, we know that the environment of Wales is very precious indeed. The clause requires that ““anything”” must be done that is, according to the wording of Clause 60(1),"““appropriate to achieve any one or more””" of various objectives. So, after a long discussion, we felt that this particular part of the Bill was appropriate for the needs of Wales.