§ 4. Ian Lucas (Wrexham)If he intends to contribute to the recently announced inquiry into the powers of the National Assembly for Wales. [55931]
§ The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State (Mr. John Prescott)I understand that, with the exception of Lord Richard, no appointments have yet been made to the independent commission on Assembly powers. As I understand it, the terms of reference of the inquiry have not yet been agreed, so it would be premature for me to speculate on the Government's input to the work of the commission.
§ Ian LucasI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. The devolution settlement in Wales is still very young, but any changes to it should be made only with the consent of the people of Wales. Does he agree that Members of Parliament should be fully involved in the inquiry that has been set up, and will he write to the First Minister to say so?
§ The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateThe agreement and settlement for the Welsh Assembly and Welsh devolution was decided by the Welsh people. However, the partnership agreement signed in October 2000 between the Labour and Liberal elements of the Administration established the commitment that before the end of the Assembly's first year, an independent commission on its powers and electoral arrangements would ensure that we could operate in the best interests of the people of Wales. The commission has not been appointed and terms of reference have not been given. We must wait and see what emerges from the discussions.
§ Mr. Simon Thomas (Ceredigion)I welcome the publication of the right hon. Gentleman's White Paper on the English regions a couple of weeks ago. I think that paragraph 5.2 says that the document recognises that in England, devolution will be a process not an event. Will he use his considerable influence in such matters to ensure that whatever happens in England in terms of regional devolution, Wales, as a nation that is part of the United Kingdom, will stay one step ahead in the process of devolution?
§ The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateI think that we have made the position absolutely clear. The people of Wales settled for their Welsh Assembly and the people of Scotland settled for their Scottish Parliament. We now intend to give the English regions the opportunity to decide about English regional government. It will be their choice—and properly so— and the people will soon have that opportunity to speak.
§ Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent)Does the Minister not think it somewhat ironic that certain people are pushing for more powers for the Welsh Assembly, when it refuses to use the powers that it already has, such as those relating 278 to quangos? Is it not also ironic that those people have the cheek to ask for more powers for the Assembly when virtually no one in Wales is at all sympathetic to the idea?
§ The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateMy hon. Friend makes a good point; there is certainly an awful lot of irony in this debate—in all parts of the United Kingdom.