Government of Wales Bill

: I have some sympathy with the amendment. I have made it fairly clear that I do not in general favour more powers for the Welsh Assembly, but there is the occasional circumstance in which there might be some logic to them. An active agriculture Department is already up and running in the Welsh Assembly, which is responsible for payments to farmers. The payments may at some point be affected by whether farmers allow hunts to take place on their land, particularly if the hunts are found to be doing anything illegal, which I am sure will not happen in Wales and which certainly does not happen in Monmouthshire among the hunts with which I am closely connected. On this occasion, there is a good reason for considering whether a power might be best devolved to Wales and dealt with by the agriculture Department there and by the many Assembly Members who have first-hand experience of agriculture.