Member

That seems to be going back in large measure on the wide and generous commitment to devolution that was made in both the Williams review and Getting Britain Moving. Can the Minister explain where we are on this? He is likely to say that this is all for the future and not to do with this Bill. He will fall back on the argument that this is a tiny and technical Bill with no significance whatever and that we should just vote it through without question because all these matters will be dealt with in the great rail reform Bill, due to arrive on a platform near us in 12 or 18 months—but as I and other noble Lords said earlier in Committee, the transitional arrangements set up by this Bill are likely to be in effect, even if the Government’s timetable goes well, for four or five years as that legislation is devised, brought forward, amended, debated, passed and then of course implemented, which is likely to take several years.