Member

I hope this debate will give us a chance to start to give an opportunity for the Minister to put on record how the Government currently regard their discussions of the Bill with the three devolved Administrations. Let us be realistic: relations between some of those, particularly between London and Edinburgh, were strained for some considerable time under previous Administrations, and the issues around Northern Ireland will be particularly apposite given some of the issues that the Bill will put forward. The point that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, put forward about this being a chance to restart and demonstrate a future relationship with the devolved authorities is absolutely central to these amendments.