Evans: Welsh Committee, 'bland not grand'

Government Backs Down on Welsh Committee

The move followed an extraordinary protest outside the committee's first session in north Wales, with angry Conservatives picketing MPs and Welsh Office ministers. Launching the committee's debate on the government's programme for Wales, Welsh Secretary Ron Davies appeared to throw the Tories an olive branch, telling MPs that a seat might become available if there was a new approach from the Conservatives.

But he insisted that the Tories only had themselves to blame for the current situation because William Hague, former Shadow Welsh Secretary, had failed to respond to an invitation a month ago for discussions on the issue. The matter is now expected to be taken up by Michael Ancram, the Conservative spokesman on Welsh and Scottish affairs.

Earlier a dozen placard-waving demonstrators led by Shadow Welsh affairs spokesman Nigel Evans claimed Labour had changed the Welsh Grand Committee into the Welsh "Bland" committee, stifling debate and denying a voice to 317,000 people in Wales who voted Conservative at the general election.

Welsh-born Mr Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, Lancashire, denounced the committee as "a sham", adding: "Not only is the government trying to gag its own MPs, but it is also intent on silencing any dissenting voices on the Welsh Grand Committee."

The Committee consists of all MPs from Welsh constituencies - 34 Labour, four Plaid Cymru and two Liberal Democrat. Although the election left the Conservatives without a single MP in Wales, the Labour-dominated Commons selection committee could co-opt up to five non-Welsh MPs.

Although most MPs ignored the demonstration, Labour MP John Marek (Wrexham) told the demonstrators he agreed that Conservatives should be allowed onto the Welsh Grand. Mr Marek, who supports proportional representation, told them: "If you got 20% of the vote at the general election then you should have some representation. Every government needs a good opposition, whether it is a Labour or Conservative government."

Other Labour MPs were also privately sympathetic to the Tory protest and expected the issue to be resolved by the time the Welsh Grand Committee debates the Government's White Paper on Welsh devolution later this summer.

Today's session at County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, was an historic day for the Welsh language. For the first time, a Commons committee became officially bi-lingual, with MPs free to use Welsh during the debate.