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Government of Wales Bill

The amendment is about the strength or otherwise of electoral mandates. As we have been discussing all evening, the Arbuthnott report on the situation in Scotland said clearly, on the Government’s proposals:"““The Commission believes that preventing dual candidacy would be undemocratic.””" Having looked at the Welsh example, it suggested that the motivation was to preserve one-party hegemony. When we hear Labour Members argue that it is actually for the general good and the health of democracy, we should remember that the commission that studied the matter saw a different motivation. Who are the Arbuthnott commission to rule on these matters? Were they hand-picked by the Conservatives, or by Plaid Cymru or by the Liberals? They were hand-picked by the Secretary of State for Scotland. They were described recently by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland as"““a serious commission carrying forward a serious piece of work on our behalf. It is composed of extremely high-calibre individuals who have made outstanding contributions to public life . . . over many years. They are going about the task that we gave them with exemplary thoroughness and integrity.””—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 9 November 2005; Vol. 2043, c. 105WH.]" Oh, but that the Secretary of State for Wales had taken the advice of people of similar integrity. The Secretary of State for Wales—the part-time Secretary of State for Wales—told us in his press release that he had information—