Speeches by Smith.

“We have covered bits of my questions already, so I am going to pick out bits that we have not, and then possibly throw in something else. To start, given the different devolution settlements between Scotland and Wales, do you have concerns that Scotland will get better outcomes than Wales under the Bill?”

“Fiona, you touched on the elections that are coming up. You said you have been around over a number of years, so I am sure you have seen changes of Government in Westminster and Scotland. Are you concerned that any future changes would threaten the ways of working that are set out in the MOU, or are you experienced eno…”

“Out of interest, what engagement have you had on the production of the guidance that has just been published? Have you had any say in that, or has it just landed on your desk from the DFT, leaving you thinking, “It might have been nice to be asked about this”?”

“I am thinking of those examples where they are not near one of those big chunky mayoral combined authorities that exist already.”

“You say that you think it is good to have that statutory underpinning. However, there is the opportunity to put some of what would be included in a memorandum of understanding into primary legislation rather than having it in a separate document. Do you think that that would benefit the relationship and insulate from e…”

“You say that you think it is good to have that statutory underpinning. However, there is the opportunity to put some of what would be included in a memorandum of understanding into primary legislation rather than having it in a separate document. Do you think that that would benefit the relationship and insulate from e…”

“Do you think that it is the right approach to have a memorandum of understanding—I think you have kind of covered that already—and are you confident that it will cover all the arrangements it needs to?”

“The two local authorities represented here are very well established and already have a very significant role to play. However, do you think that the Bill sets out a viable road map for enhanced local control by relatively immature strategic authorities? What outcomes might be expected?”

“But basically, they will get a website, possibly, and some easier ticketing until those opportunities get grasped, because of devo.”

“Clause 80 of the Bill puts a duty on GBR to consult with Scottish Ministers if it appears that a decision would “significantly affect the interests of Scotland’s economy or of persons living in, working in or visiting Scotland.” Do you think “significantly affect” is the right test?”

“Do you think that more detail should be given on how that consultation would take place, or are you comfortable, given your experience, that what is there is okay?”

“Can you foresee instances where the directions that the Scottish Ministers give conflict with the equivalent directions from the Secretary of State? Given your experience, how do you suggest that that could be mitigated?”

“That is useful.”

“I represent a constituency with two district councils with prudently created reserves and a unitary council with high levels of debt. Understandably, residents in the district council areas are concerned that local government reorganisation will see their reserves usurped by any new unitary council areas—if they have n…”

“Finally, next year’s elections came up in the session with the previous panel. Do you have any concern that changes of Government in Cardiff or Westminster threaten the ways of working that are set out in your MOU, and what do we need to be mindful of with the Welsh elections coming next year?”

“In Bills coming through Parliament recently, we have seen a lot of things like the code of practice not being set in stone before the Bill Committee. Are you confident that the memorandum of understanding will be finalised before we start scrutinising the Bill, so that we can make sure that everyone is happy with it, o…”

“You have talked a lot about the need for the MOU and how you are positive about that. Do you think there are any lessons to be learnt from that MOU structure and what is going to be in it for local authorities and mayoral authorities? From your experience, what should we be looking for particularly on that modal shift?…”

“You have discussed Transport for Wales a little bit, which is obviously what you are here to represent. In a Welsh network largely owned by GBR, which is where the Bill will take us, and on which some GBR services will run, what risks do you feel there are to Transport for Wales’s ability to run its services effectivel…”

“There is quite a lot for this Committee, and those people on the Bill Committee, to be minded of to understand the detail of what this work will actually look like, isn’t there?”

“Will the Wales and Border business unit have the detail of how it works in that MOU, or is that a separate thing that we need to be mindful of in the workings of that unit?”