MPs scorn minister's Welsh plans

PATRICIA WYNN DAVIES

Political Correspondent

The Government yesterday attempted to meet the clamour for devolved democracy in Wales with a series of proposed changes to the Welsh Grand Committee.

But opposition parties at once dismissed the plans as doing nothing to change the committee's "talking shop" status.

William Hague, Secretary of State for Wales, said he planned more frequent Grand Committee meetings - six or seven a year with half of them in a range of Welsh towns - the introduction of question times and, in line with plans for Scotland, a new right for Welsh MPs to question visiting ministers over responsibilities affecting Wales.

There will be no new legislative role for the committee, which currently has the power to consider, but not vote on, government legislation.

Mr Hague told MPs in a Commons statement that John Major and Kenneth Clarke, the Chancellor, had both indicated their willingness to attend a session of the committee. He said: "The Welsh Grand Committee has the potential to ensure that Welsh interests are kept high on the agenda in Parliament."

But the proposals were met with derision by Labour and Liberal Democrat spokesmen.

Ron Davies, Labour's spokesman on Wales, called the statement "a welcome admission of the inadequacies of the current arrangements", but said a directly elected Welsh assembly remained the priority.

Mr Hague told MPs that in the last referendum Wales had rejected an assembly.