"Breezing in."
The Presiding Officer,
"The idea that the Prime Minister of the UK answers questions in the National Assembly for Wales is impracticable and preposterous.
"It's our own First Minister who answers questions here and the relationship is between the UK Government and the Welsh Government. It isn't between the Prime Minister and the Assembly.
"That's demeaning to our National Assembly and turns it into some kind of Grand Committee (of the House of Commons) equivalent.
"The idea that the Prime Minister of the UK can breeze in for a Q&A isn't allowed under our Standing Orders and I have no intention of changing it.
"He is the first minister of another Government in terms of our constitution. I would think if those people were serious they would have looked at the constitution. It smacks a bit of paternal unionism."
The Presiding Officer, in a letter to David Cameron, June 2010
"When you visited last month you offered, if the Assembly wished, to come to the Assembly and to contribute to our proceedings. You also suggested that a senior Treasury Minister could come to answer questions after the budget.
"I have now had an opportunity to discuss your suggestions with business managers of each of the political groups in the Assembly. As a result, I would liek to invite you to address Members of the National Assembly at a suitable time during the remaining term of the Third Assembly. The format I propose is that you would make a statement to the Assembly, to be followed by responses from each of the four party leaders ...
"These are new constitutional times for us all and I share your desire for an agenda of respect for relations between the Assembly and the UK Parliament, which you articulated when you visited us last month. I also welcome the construcitve, pragmatic approach the Secretary of State for Wales has already taken to engagement with the National Assembly. I look forward to taking forward these arrangements with you so that together we can indeed make sure that we make devolution work even better in the future".
These are new constitutional times for us all? Indeed.
I'm Betsan Powys, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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