Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his statement in "Wales Deserves a Voice", how a Welsh Assembly will ensure that a future government would no longer be able to impose legislation such as the poll tax. [9554]
§ Mr. Ron Davies[holding answer 21 July 1997]: The Welsh Assembly would be the credible voice of the Welsh people. The White Paper, "A Voice for Wales", makes it clear that the Government expect the Welsh Assembly to work in partnership with the Westminster Parliament and the Government of the day. Any attempt to override the clearly expressed views of the Assembly would put that partnership in jeopardy.
Implementation of the poll tax depended upon the exercise by the Secretary of State of a multiplicity of orderand regulation-making powers. If a Government wished to impose on Wales legislation which the Assembly opposed and which related to matters such as education or health that would normally be dealt with by the Assembly, it would either have to put all the detail in the new primary legislation or have to give all the powers in that legislation to the Secretary of State.