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Government of Wales Bill

My Lords, the noble Lord’s self-denying ordinance is a lesson to us all. Obviously the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth, has summed up the response that I would otherwise have given to the noble Lord, Lord Elystan-Morgan. There are obvious advantages in consulting on legislation that can be passed by this Parliament. We have indicated that in previous discussions about the Bill. It is clearly the case that, on certain occasions, the interests of Wales could be advanced more adroitly and effectively by legislation passed in this Parliament for the whole of the United Kingdom, of which Wales would be a part, in which case consultation would need to be carried out. It is not for us to prescribe on the face of the Bill a Sewel-type convention. I think that we should be very careful about the name when we eventually arrive at it—so I am not accepting the suggestion of the noble Lord, Lord Norton—but a process similar to that would be of advantage.