Page 4955 - Week 15 - Thursday, 8 December 1994

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5 THE OTHER ADVANTAGE OF PROCEEDING IN THIS WAY IS THAT APPROPRIATE CONSULTATION CAN OCCUR AND THE VIEWS OF ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND GROUPS HEARD. ON REFLECTION, I THINK THAT THE AMENDMENTS WHICH MR HUMPHRIES AND I DISCUSSED AND WHICH WERE RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH IN THEMSELVES TO MERIT WIDER CONSULTATION.

A FINAL CONSIDERATION BY THE GOVERNMENT WAS THE VERY LIMITED ASSEMBLY TIME AVAILABLE BEFORE WE RISE IN DECEMBER. THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT AND IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT BILLS REQUIRING THE ATTENTION OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND I THINK THAT IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT IF THE SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS WERE INTRODUCED, THEY EITHER MAY NOT BE REACHED OR PERHAPS MEMBERS, GIVEN THE HEAVY WORKLOAD AHEAD, MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM THE LEVEL OF SCRUTINY THEY NORMALLY WOULD.

MADAM SPEAKER, I THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS MATTER. THEIR DELIBERATIONS WILL BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THE OFFICERS PREPARING THE DISCUSSION PAPER, AND I TRUST THAT THAT PAPER WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE BENEFIT OF EXAMINATION BY THE NEW COMMITTEE, IN THE NEXT ASSEMBLY.

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