Clause 1 - General transport duty
Transport (Wales) Bill
11:00 am
Bill Wiggin ((Also Shadow Secretary of State for Wales), Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Leominster, Conservative)
It would fly in the face of my position if that was what I said, but it is not. The hon. Gentleman has completely misunderstood me. Let me put his mind at rest. The point, which I shall reiterate for his benefit and that of the Committee, is that the Bill as currently worded would give a great deal of responsibility to the Assembly for journeys that start or finish in Wales. The problem is that the budget, the remit and the whole responsibility of the Welsh Assembly position it perfectly to look after journeys within Wales, but the minute one leaves Wales, that ability is diminished. The clause obliges the Assembly not only to develop policies, but to implement them. That could be severely damaging, and the Minister has not put my mind at rest about how the Assembly will tackle the problem.