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Legislative Programme and Budget Statement (Wales)

The reality is that we live in a country of multi-party politics in Wales. It is inconceivable that we will have one-party rule in Wales. Labour struggled with that idea but subsequently formed alliances with the Liberal Democrats on one occasion and Plaid Cymru on another. The reality is that all political parties have a role in decision making in Wales, which is the new politics that people must get used to. The Conservative party has had to recognise the major constitutional changes that have taken place, and the existence of the coalition is one of those challenges. I pay tribute to Liberal Democrat Members, because I recognise that it is a big challenge for them as well, but it is a challenge that is ultimately in the national interest. I hope that the Liberal Democrats will not be offended, but, as a long-standing supporter of electoral reform, I do not agree that the alternative vote system is a system of electoral reform. In my view, it does not address any issue in relation to proportionality. The disparity between Members and votes that we see in the Committee today, where the votes are on this side and the Members are on the other side, might not change much with AV. I would certainly support a change that introduced proportionality, even though it is anathema to many other Conservatives, but the AV system would not achieve that. I am bearing your comment in mind, Mr Sheridan, and I will draw my remarks to a close by making an observation about the forthcoming referendum. In the Queen’s Speech, there were a number of measures by which we will be endeavouring to devolve power to local communities. We will try to devolve power on planning to local councils, without having them second-guessed from above. We have concepts on the delivery of free schools, and we anticipate the empowerment of voluntary bodies. That agenda has a great deal to commend it, and it should have more cross-party support than we have heard so far. One concern is that the referendum debate is all about, ““Should we have more powers in the National Assembly?”” rather than, ““Should the National Assembly engage with the agenda of ensuring that powers are devolved to local communities, voluntary groups and the rest?”” When we have the debate, I want that question to be addressed by those people who argue most strongly for powers to be devolved to the National Assembly. If that can be satisfactorily addressed, and if we—and the National Assembly, too—believe in ensuring that we win local empowerment, I for one would enthusiastically support the transfer of those powers. If elsewhere in the country such powers end up in local communities, but in Wales they stay in the National Assembly, people in Wales need to know that before voting in the referendum.