Member

I hope I do not need to say how important devolution is and how many noble Lords on all sides of this House are committed to devolution, at least among the regions in England, to which I am confining myself. The reasons I shall not explain, but Scotland and Wales make it all a bit more complicated than is necessary to deal with in this debate. The principles are what are important. I think that noble Lords on all sides are committed to devolution. It is worth saying what exists at the moment. On Merseyside we have devolved management of the railways. The Minister has pointed out to me, in conversations that we had with officials before the Bill, that the Merseyside network is sufficiently distinct from the national network, and that leaving it to manage itself can make a great deal of sense. I accept that.