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Government of Wales Bill

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Elystan-Morgan, spoke in emotional terms on this point. Anyone who has been involved in Welsh politics will know that these are sensitive issues. Immediately after I ceased to be the Secretary of State for Wales, I set up and became chairman of the National Rivers Authority where the responsibilities covered England and Wales. Long before political boundaries were drawn, the geological nature and structure of Wales came into being. The simple fact is that the great rivers of Wales flow into England, and not the other way round. The equally simple fact is that a very large part of the water supply to England comes from Wales, not just the north-west, to which the noble Lord referred. The River Severn, with its linkage to the River Trent, provides water throughout the Midlands, right across to East Anglia. This is a vital concern. Although it is unlikely, and one hopes representations would ensure that it would not occur, one can envisage circumstances in which an intervention by the Secretary of State and the English Government would be necessary. Certainly, the noble Lord is entitled to seek assurances from Ministers that that would be used only in the most reasonable way and only when circumstances dictated that it was essential. I entirely understand why the safeguard was introduced in the first place. Having had the responsibility for ensuring the water supplies for England and Wales, I do not see how one could avoid having some kind of safeguard of this kind.