---

National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Welsh Language)

It is always a great pleasure to listen to the right hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth; he brings great experience and knowledge of the Assembly. I am sure that the work of the Welsh Affairs Committee benefits from that. I welcome the opportunity to consider the order in the Welsh Grand Committee; it is the first time that we have done so. I pay tribute to the Chairman of the Select Committee, the hon. Member for Aberavon, and all the other Committee members who have done so well to bring this degree of consensus to what started out looking like an issue that would bring great difficulty. That would have been a pity, because I think we all wish to ensure that the Welsh language is given as much support as possible so that it can flourish and avoid the dangers of decay and demise suffered by languages of other small nations. I am aware that some Assembly Members wanted this meeting to be cancelled, because they were concerned that it might delay the LCO process. I agree that we do not want to delay that process. I listened to the Secretary of State and his commitment to having the matter debated on the Floor of the House. Although I welcome that, I want to be assured that the agreed timetable will continue to be respected and that a debate on the Floor of the House will not affect it in any way.