§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has any plans to establish a regional assembly for Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David HuntThe local authorities association and others have pressed upon me the case for such an assembly to perform executive functions in the Principality. I have not reached a final decision on this question, but I have to say that the suggestions that have been put to me pose very considerable problems, not least because of the uncertainties and ambiguities about the respective responsibilities of the Secretary of State and of the assembly and about the powers of the assembly. I am not at present persuaded that the creation of an assembly along these lines would be in the best interests of the people of Wales.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales in his review of the structure and function of local councils in Wales what consideration he has given to the likely cost of establishing a Welsh assembly.
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§ Mr. David Hunt[holding answer 26 March 1991]: The proposals for an assembly which have been put to me are not sufficiently precise to allow for an accurate costing, but the costs would certainly be considerable. Estimates made in the White Paper "Our Changing Democracy"—Cm 6348, 1975—increased to allow for inflation, suggest that the annual running costs of an assembly could be between £40 million and £50 million. The "Vote No" lobby issued a booklet in February 1979 which put the cumulative costs of an assembly over a 21-year period. That total, increased for inflation, would now be £1 billion.