Transport (Wales) Bill
10:30 am
Lembit Öpik (Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Affairs; Montgomeryshire, Liberal Democrat)
I welcome you to the Chair, Miss Begg. For almost eight years, you and I have been bringing the BBC to account as members of the all-party group on the BBC, although the Government have obviously recognised your contribution more than mine. It will be a pleasure to serve under you on this Committee and, I hope, on others in future.
The Liberal Democrats are comfortable with the programme motion. The Bill raises matters for debate, but the issue of whether we agree with it as a whole is not fundamentally contentious. Two sittings in one day should be satisfactory. I am sure that no one in the Room has any desire to filibuster or to cause unnecessary delay and that we shall get through matters quickly.
I very much look forward to hearing the rationale behind the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Leominster, and I am sure that we shall have a healthy debate about them. Notwithstanding that, I hope, as does the Minister, that we will not use time unnecessarily, since time’s arrow cannot be stopped. The sooner we complete our work on the Bill, the sooner we will be able to deal with other matters.
I should mention one last thing. If matters arise in Committee that persuade the Government of the need for change, I am sure that the Minister will be noble enough to affirm that he will use Report to make the necessary changes. On that basis, I support the programme motion.