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Government of Wales Bill

Yes, I follow what the noble Lord says, but we are dealing with the Bill in front of us. I do not see anything in the amendments so far tabled by the Conservative Party that would indicate that they pursue the same line as us. We start with the basis that there should be full legislative competence for a Welsh parliament save in reserve matters. That is an issue that we will flesh out in later amendments. Once we have arrived at that position, we have to decide what we will do about the Bill before us. There is undoubtedly a tortuous procedure to adopt—a word used by the noble Lord, Lord Richard, to describe it was ““involved””. We by no means consider that the numerous stages and processes set out in the Bill—namely, the application for the Order in Council, followed by putting through a measure of the Assembly—amount to a satisfactory solution. However, it is a step forward. We have always wished to see devolution as a process and not as an event. We wish to see steps taken that lead towards the goal which I personally have been advocating for something like 42 years. It will take more than this Bill to stop me advocating full powers for a Welsh parliament. Accepting many of the criticisms that have been made by the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, and certainly accepting that this machinery is not at all as clear-cut as it could be, we nevertheless oppose these amendments.