Government of Wales Bill. Lords second reading debate. Agreed to on question and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.

Government of Wales Bill. Lords second reading debate. Agreed to on question and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. It is not quite eight years since this House debated the Bill to establish the National Assembly for Wales. It is very sad that Lord Williams of Mostyn, who opened that debate, is no longer with us....

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. It is not quite eight years since this House debated the Bill to establish the National Assembly for Wales. It is very sad that Lord Williams of Mostyn, who opened that debate, is no longer with us....

My Lords, I am sure that my noble friend the Minister will anticipate my question. If this is good enough for Wales, why is it not good enough for Scotland?

My Lords, I am sure that my noble friend the Minister will anticipate my question. If this is good enough for Wales, why is it not good enough for Scotland?

My Lords, that question will be debated at enormous length as the Bill goes through the House. To raise it now in my opening address and discuss it would distract us from the work in hand. The Bill delivers on those three manifesto commitments. It carries forward most of the...

My Lords, that question will be debated at enormous length as the Bill goes through the House. To raise it now in my opening address and discuss it would distract us from the work in hand. The Bill delivers on those three manifesto commitments. It carries forward most of the...

My Lords, I am most grateful to the Minister for giving way. I noticed that the Government in the other place have circulated, in support of the argument the noble Lord has just been advancing, a list of quotations, which includes two from me. I simply make it clear that these were taken out...

My Lords, I am most grateful to the Minister for giving way. I noticed that the Government in the other place have circulated, in support of the argument the noble Lord has just been advancing, a list of quotations, which includes two from me. I simply make it clear that these were taken out...

My Lords, I reassure the noble Lord that I have no sleights of hand. I have not read the quotations he refers to; I have not seen them. But I would like to draw the House’s attention to the fact that I have been interrupted twice, both by Scotsmen, when we are talking about the government of...

My Lords, I reassure the noble Lord that I have no sleights of hand. I have not read the quotations he refers to; I have not seen them. But I would like to draw the House’s attention to the fact that I have been interrupted twice, both by Scotsmen, when we are talking about the government of...

Given the time, I shall confine my observations to Parts 3 and 4 of the Bill. First, it was a privilege and a pleasure to be a member of the Richard commission and to serve under my noble friend’s chairmanship. At least he will have the satisfaction of knowing that, unlike many other...

Given the time, I shall confine my observations to Parts 3 and 4 of the Bill. First, it was a privilege and a pleasure to be a member of the Richard commission and to serve under my noble friend’s chairmanship. At least he will have the satisfaction of knowing that, unlike many other...

My Lords, I believe in subsidiarity—the principle that power and accountability should be as close as practicable to the people. Nye Bevan said that the purpose of power was to give it away. Of course, it is unusual that politicians choose to give away power, and it is greatly to the credit...

My Lords, I believe in subsidiarity—the principle that power and accountability should be as close as practicable to the people. Nye Bevan said that the purpose of power was to give it away. Of course, it is unusual that politicians choose to give away power, and it is greatly to the credit...

My Lords, I pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Richard for the report produced two years ago by his committee under his masterly chairmanship. The committee reviewed the working of the Government of Wales Act 1998. It is my belief that, without the commission’s report, we would not today have before us...

My Lords, I pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Richard for the report produced two years ago by his committee under his masterly chairmanship. The committee reviewed the working of the Government of Wales Act 1998. It is my belief that, without the commission’s report, we would not today have before us...

My Lords, I think it entirely reasonable and appropriate that someone like me, who has spent his life in politics representing English constituencies, should speak in this debate, because the measure before us has a considerable constitutional implication on the devolution settlement that is slowly emerging in our country. Perhaps the...

My Lords, I think it entirely reasonable and appropriate that someone like me, who has spent his life in politics representing English constituencies, should speak in this debate, because the measure before us has a considerable constitutional implication on the devolution settlement that is slowly emerging in our country. Perhaps the...

My Lords, if I gave the impression that I expected Part 3 to take place in the blink of an eyelid, I entirely withdraw it. I was thinking in terms of years—a small number of years, rather than an eternity.

My Lords, if I gave the impression that I expected Part 3 to take place in the blink of an eyelid, I entirely withdraw it. I was thinking in terms of years—a small number of years, rather than an eternity.

My Lords, my near neighbour, the noble Lord, Lord Jones, and I, suffered in 1979 from the belief in north Wales that we would be overrun by the Hwntws in the south and the belief in south Wales that they would be overcome by a monoglot of Welsh-speaking Gogs from the north. The...

My Lords, my near neighbour, the noble Lord, Lord Jones, and I, suffered in 1979 from the belief in north Wales that we would be overrun by the Hwntws in the south and the belief in south Wales that they would be overcome by a monoglot of Welsh-speaking Gogs from the north. The...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Gale. It was my happy duty to work for devolved government for Wales alongside her for many years. I congratulate her upon her successful work. I followed closely the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Conwy. I recommend most highly his...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Gale. It was my happy duty to work for devolved government for Wales alongside her for many years. I congratulate her upon her successful work. I followed closely the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Conwy. I recommend most highly his...

My Lords, I was involved for many years in developing the Labour Party’s policy on devolution as general secretary of the Wales Labour Party. I worked with my noble friend Lord Jones in his then role as shadow Secretary of State for Wales. We spent many hours, months and years developing the policy....

My Lords, I was involved for many years in developing the Labour Party’s policy on devolution as general secretary of the Wales Labour Party. I worked with my noble friend Lord Jones in his then role as shadow Secretary of State for Wales. We spent many hours, months and years developing the policy....

My Lords, I am glad to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate, to follow my good friend the noble Lord, Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, who has moved from splendid isolation on his Benches to a new consensus, to welcome back my noble friend Lord Rowlands after his operation and to welcome...

My Lords, I am glad to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate, to follow my good friend the noble Lord, Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, who has moved from splendid isolation on his Benches to a new consensus, to welcome back my noble friend Lord Rowlands after his operation and to welcome...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to take part in this debate. I well remember the Second Reading eight years ago of the first Government of Wales Bill, when, in arguing strongly for the principle of devolution, I felt bereft of support on these Benches. But I have to say that today...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to take part in this debate. I well remember the Second Reading eight years ago of the first Government of Wales Bill, when, in arguing strongly for the principle of devolution, I felt bereft of support on these Benches. But I have to say that today...

My Lords, we are now coming to the end of a fairly long debate, but I take the noble Lord, Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, back to his opening remarks. He remembered the introduction and Committee stage of the 1998 Bill Act, which was taken through this House by the late Lord Williams of Mostyn....

My Lords, we are now coming to the end of a fairly long debate, but I take the noble Lord, Lord Evans of Temple Guiting, back to his opening remarks. He remembered the introduction and Committee stage of the 1998 Bill Act, which was taken through this House by the late Lord Williams of Mostyn....

My Lords, we have had a fascinating debate. Let me first reply to the noble Lord, Lord Henley. He will have recognised that 93 of the clauses were recycled from the 1998 Act, so it is not surprising that the other place did not think they ought to spend a huge amount of time...

My Lords, we have had a fascinating debate. Let me first reply to the noble Lord, Lord Henley. He will have recognised that 93 of the clauses were recycled from the 1998 Act, so it is not surprising that the other place did not think they ought to spend a huge amount of time...

My Lords, the shape of things to come.

My Lords, the shape of things to come.