SCRAPPING the contentious Wales Bill would be “a massive missed opportunity”, the Welsh Secretary has said.

Stephen Crabb was quizzed about the draft bill – the latest stage in the devolution process – at a meeting of the Welsh Government’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee yesterday.

Although the bill proposes to hand Wales more powers over energy projects, the running of elections and other areas, it has proven extremely unpopular among Welsh politicians, with First Minister Carwyn Jones claiming it amounted to “an English veto on Welsh laws”.

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, Labour's Blaenau Gwent AM Alun Davies was particularly critical of the draft bill.

“I can’t think of anyone who’s welcomed it,” he said.

“The witnesses we’ve had have uniformly said it’s a poor piece of work that doesn’t seem to have any sort of ambition and certainly falls far short of your own rhetoric.”

“This is not a basis for a lasting settlement.”

He also criticised Mr Crabb for working from the starting point of maintaining the existing England and Wales legal jurisdiction, saying he believed the way forward would be instead to set up a separate Welsh jurisdiction.

“I am as sick as you are with constitutional debate and discussion,” he said. “This is why I want to end this.”

Plaid Cymru member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd Dafydd Elis-Thomas was also strongly critical of the draft, saying: “This is no settlement at all”.

But, although he conceded the list of “exceptions” in which the UK government would be required to give consent for legislation to be passed in Wales was too long, Mr Crabb denied claims the draft bill would take powers away from Wales, saying it instead assured UK government ministers would have a say on Welsh Government legislation which would affect the law in England.

The Conservative MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire also said he was concerned the strength of feeling against the bill would mean it was thrown out before being given a chance to be developed into a form acceptable to both the UK and Welsh governments, adding it could be up to 10 years before an alternative plan could come before Parliament.

“I feel with the level of rhetoric that is coming from some quarters that we are creating a climate where this bill won’t see the light of day,” he said. “That would be a missive missed opportunity for the people of Wales.”

The full draft Bill, which is expected to go before MPs in February 2016, is available at www.gov.uk.