National Assembly for Wales
Encyclopedia
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved
assembly
with power to make legislation in Wales
. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs . Members are elected for four-year terms under an additional members system
, where 40 AMs represent geographical constituencies elected by the plurality
system, and 20 AMs from five electoral regions using the d'Hondt method
of proportional representation
.
The Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998
, which followed a referendum in 1997. On its creation, most of the powers of the Welsh Office
and Secretary of State for Wales
were transferred to it. The Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation
until limited law-making powers were gained through the Government of Wales Act 2006
. Its primary law-making powers were enhanced following a Yes vote in the referendum on 3 March 2011, making it possible for it to legislate without having to consult the UK parliament
, nor the Secretary of State for Wales
in the 20 areas that are devolved.
in 1964 effectively created the basis for the territorial governance of Wales. The Royal Commission on the Constitution
(the Kilbrandon Commission) was set up in 1969 by Harold Wilson
's Labour Government to investigate the possibility of devolution for Scotland and Wales. Its recommendations formed the basis of the 1974 White Paper
Democracy and Devolution: proposals for Scotland and Wales, which proposed the creation of a Welsh Assembly. However, voters rejected the proposals by a majority of four to one in a referendum held in 1979
.
After the 1997 general election
, the new Labour Government argued that an Assembly would be more democratically accountable than the Welsh Office
. For eleven years prior to 1997 Wales had been represented in the UK cabinet
by a Secretary of State
who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster
.
A second referendum was held on 18 September 1997 in which voters approved the creation of the National Assembly for Wales by a majority of 6,712 votes, or 50.3% of the vote.
The following year the Government of Wales Act
was passed by Parliament, establishing the Assembly.
In July 2002, the Welsh Government established an independent commission, with Lord Richard
(former leader of the House of Lords
) as chair, to review the powers and electoral arrangements of the National Assembly in order to ensure that it is able to operate in the best interests of the people of Wales. The Richard Commission reported in March 2004. It recommended that the National Assembly should have powers to legislate in certain areas, whilst others would remain the preserve of Westminster. It also recommended changing the electoral system to the single transferable vote
(STV) which would produce greater proportionality
.
In response the UK Government, in its Better Governance for Wales White Paper, published on 15 June 2005, proposed a more permissive law-making system for the Welsh Assembly based on the use of Parliamentary Orders in Council. In so doing, the Government rejected many of the cross party Richard Commission's recommendations. This has attracted criticism from opposition parties and others.
Recent polls suggest that a majority of the Welsh support full legislative powers. Over 80% of people in Wales want a new parliament according to a new survey published in 2008 and Assembly members are willing to extend further powers to Cardiff Bay from Westminster.
received Royal Assent
on 25 July 2006. It confers on the Assembly legislative powers similar to other devolved
legislatures through the ability to pass Assembly Measures concerning matters that are devolved. Requests for further legislative powers made through legislative competence requests are subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales
, House of Commons
or House of Lords
.
The Act reforms the assembly to a parliamentary-type structure, establishing the Welsh Government as an entity separate from, but accountable to the National Assembly. It enables the Assembly to legislate within its devolved fields.
The Act also reforms the Assembly's electoral system. It prevents individuals from standing as candidates in both constituency and regional seats. This aspect of the act was subject to a great deal of criticism, most notably from the Electoral Commission
.
The Act has been heavily criticised. Plaid Cymru
, the Official Opposition in the National Assembly from 1999–2007, attacked it for not delivering a fully-fledged Parliament. Many commentators have also criticised the Labour Party's allegedly partisan attempt to alter the electoral system. By preventing regional Assembly Members from standing in constituency seats the party has been accused of changing the rules to protect constituency representatives. Labour had 29 members in the Assembly at the time, all of whom held constituency seats.
The changes to the Assembly's powers were commenced on 4 May 2007, after the election.
, the Senedd
(English:Senate), was designed by the Richard Rogers
Partnership and built by Taylor Woodrow
, with environmental and MEP design by BDSP Partnership. It uses traditional Welsh materials such as slate and Welsh Oak in its construction, and the design is based around the concepts of openness and transparency. The Timber ceiling and centre funnel, manufactured and installed by BCL Timber Projects (sub-contracted by Taylor Woodrow) is made from Canadian sourced Western Red Cedar.
The Senedd houses the debating chamber and Committee Rooms. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II
on St. David's Day, 1 March 2006.
The Senedd is designed to be environmentally friendly: it uses an Earth Heat Exchange system for heating; rainwater is collected from the roof and used for flushing toilets and cleaning windows, and the roof features a wind cowl which funnels natural light and air into the debating chamber below.
. The National Assembly for Wales Commission
is also responsible for the Pierhead Building
, which is the location of "The Assembly at the Pierhead" exhibition, and is the Visitor and Education Centre for the National Assembly for Wales as well as housing a small giftshop. The exhibition (currently still in the process of being updated following May's election) provides visitors with a unique opportunity to access the most up-to-date information on who's who, what's happening and how the Assembly works. Cathays Park consists of two buildings; the older building contains offices for the First Minister for Wales and senior civil servants, whilst the newer building is a large modern building built as an extension to the older building.
, and another to serve as a deputy. Rosemary Butler
, Labour AM, has been Presiding Officer since the beginning of the 2011–2016 term, having taken over from Dafydd Elis Thomas. Lord Elis-Thomas, Plaid Cymru
AM, had been Presiding Officer since the Assembly's creation, standing down from the post in 2011. Butler had been his deputy since 2007. The Presiding Officer also acts as Chair of the National Assembly for Wales Commission
. Both the Presiding Officer and the Deputy Presiding Officer are expected not to vote.
, since May 2011. The previous administration (then known as the Welsh Assembly Government), had been a coalition between Labour
—led by First Minister, Carwyn Jones
—and Plaid Cymru
—led by Deputy First Minister
, Ieuan Wyn Jones
— from December 2009 and to May 2011.
The executive and civil servants are mainly based in Cardiff's Cathays Park
while the Assembly Members, the Assembly Commission and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay
where a new £67 million Assembly Building, known as the Senedd
, has recently been built.
One important feature of the National Assembly until 2007 was that there was no legal or constitutional separation of the legislative and executive functions, since it was a single corporate entity. Compared with other parliamentary systems, and arrangements for devolution in other countries of the UK, this was unusual. In practice, however, there was separation of functions, and the terms "Assembly" and "Assembly Parliamentary Service" came into use to distinguish between the two arms. The Government of Wales Act 2006 regularised the separation when it came into effect following the 2007 Assembly Election.
Initially, the Assembly did not have primary legislative or fiscal powers, as these powers were reserved by Westminster
. The Assembly did have powers to pass secondary legislation in devolved areas. Sometimes secondary legislation could be used to amend primary legislation
, but the scope of this was very limited. for example, the first Government of Wales Act gave the Assembly power to amend primary legislation relating to the merger of certain public bodies. However, most secondary powers were conferred on the executive by primary legislation to give the executive (i.e., Ministers) more powers, and the Assembly has had wider legislative powers than appearances might suggest. For example, the Assembly delayed local elections due to be held in 2003 for a year by use of secondary powers, so that they would not correspond with Assembly elections. In 2001 the UK parliament used primary legislation to delay for one month local elections in England during the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic.
The Assembly gained limited primary legislative powers following the 2007 election and the passage of the Government of Wales Act 2006. These laws are known as Assembly Measures and can be enacted in specific fields and matters within the legislative competency of the Assembly. New matters and fields can be devolved by Acts of the UK Parliament or by LCOs approved by Parliament.
While in principle the Assembly has no tax-varying powers, in reality it has some very limited power over taxes. For example, in Wales, as in England, the rate of Council Tax
is set by local authorities
, but since the Assembly largely determines the level of grants to local councils, it can influence the level of local taxation indirectly. It also has some discretion over charges for government services. Notable examples where this discretion has been used to create significant differences from other areas in the UK include:
This means in reality that there is a wider definition of "nursing care" than in England and therefore less dependence on means testing in Wales than in England, meaning that more people are entitled to higher levels of state assistance. These variations in the levels of charges may be viewed as de facto
tax varying powers.
This model of more limited legislative powers was partly due to the fact that Wales has had the same legal system as England
since 1536, when it was merged
with England. Ireland and Scotland were never merged by England, and so always retained some distinct differences in their legal systems. The Scottish Parliament
and the Northern Ireland Assembly
both have deeper and wider powers.
The Assembly inherited the powers and budget of the Secretary of State for Wales
and most of the functions of the Welsh Office
. It has power to vary laws passed by Westminster
using secondary legislation. Cheryl Gillan
, who represents the English constituency of Chesham and Amersham, in the Westminster Parliament is currently the Secretary of State for Wales
.
Following a referendum on 4 March 2011, the Welsh Assembly gained direct law making powers, without the need to consult Westminster.
in 20 "Subjects" outlined in schedule 7 of the Government of Wales Act 2006
.
Those subjects are:
, a type of additional member system
, forty of the AMs are elected from single-member constituencies on a plurality voting system
(or first past the post) basis, the constituencies being equivalent to those used for the House of Commons
and twenty AMs are elected from regional closed list
s using an alternative party vote. There are five regions: Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East and South Wales West (these are the same as the pre 1999 European Parliament constituencies for Wales), each of which returns four members. The additional members produce a degree of proportionality within each region. Whereas voters can choose any regional party list irrespective of their party vote in the constituency election, list AMs are not elected independently of the constituency element; rather, elected constituency AMs are deemed to be pre-elected list representatives for the purposes of calculating remainders in the d'Hondt method
. Overall proportionality is limited by the low proportion of list members (33% of the Assembly compared with 43% in the Scottish Parliament
and 50% in the German Bundestag
) and the regionalisation of the list element. Consequently, the Assembly as a whole has a greater degree of proportionality (based on proportions in the list elections) than the plurality voting system used for UK parliamentary elections, but still deviates somewhat from proportionality. The Single Transferable Vote
system had been considered for the Assembly by the Labour Party
as early as 1995-96, but according to the evidence given to the Richard Commission by Ron Davies, a former Welsh Secretary
,
To date there have been four elections to the Assembly
, in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.
, 2003
, 2007, and 2011.
|-
| || Total || 949,252 || || || 40 || || 949,388 || || || 20 || || 60 || ||
|}
Following the 2011 election, Welsh Labour held exactly half of the seats in the Assembly, falling just short of an overall majority. This meant that only Labour can form a government. On 17 May, it was noticed that two members (Aled Roberts and John Dixon) elected for the Liberal Democrats held posts which disqualified them from being Assembly members. After investigation it emerged that Aled Roberts had received the wrong information from the Electoral Commission, and was re-admitted to the National Assembly after a vote by AMs. The Liberal Democrats withdrew a request to re-admit the other AM, John Dixon, who has been replaced by Eluned Parrott, who was second in the South Wales Central Region.
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
assembly
National Assembly
National Assembly is either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known National Assembly, and the first legislature to be known by this title, was that established during the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assemblée nationale...
with power to make legislation in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs . Members are elected for four-year terms under an additional members system
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
, where 40 AMs represent geographical constituencies elected by the plurality
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
system, and 20 AMs from five electoral regions using the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
The Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998
Government of Wales Act 1998
This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998 This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998...
, which followed a referendum in 1997. On its creation, most of the powers of the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
and Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
were transferred to it. The Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation
Primary legislation
Primary legislation is law made by the legislative branch of government. This contrasts with secondary legislation, which is usually made by the executive branch...
until limited law-making powers were gained through the Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...
. Its primary law-making powers were enhanced following a Yes vote in the referendum on 3 March 2011, making it possible for it to legislate without having to consult the UK parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, nor the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
in the 20 areas that are devolved.
Road to the Assembly
The establishment of the Welsh OfficeWelsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
in 1964 effectively created the basis for the territorial governance of Wales. The Royal Commission on the Constitution
Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission or Kilbrandon Report, was a long-running royal commission set up by Harold Wilson's Labour government to examine the structures of the constitution of the United Kingdom and the British Islands and the...
(the Kilbrandon Commission) was set up in 1969 by Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
's Labour Government to investigate the possibility of devolution for Scotland and Wales. Its recommendations formed the basis of the 1974 White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
Democracy and Devolution: proposals for Scotland and Wales, which proposed the creation of a Welsh Assembly. However, voters rejected the proposals by a majority of four to one in a referendum held in 1979
Wales referendum, 1979
In a referendum on St David's Day 1979, the people of Wales voted against proposals by the Labour government of the United Kingdom to establish a Welsh Assembly....
.
After the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, the new Labour Government argued that an Assembly would be more democratically accountable than the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
. For eleven years prior to 1997 Wales had been represented in the UK cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
by a Secretary of State
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
A second referendum was held on 18 September 1997 in which voters approved the creation of the National Assembly for Wales by a majority of 6,712 votes, or 50.3% of the vote.
The following year the Government of Wales Act
Government of Wales Act 1998
This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998 This is about the Act that set up the Welsh Assembly. For the newer Government of Wales Act 2006, see that article.The Government of Wales Act 1998...
was passed by Parliament, establishing the Assembly.
In July 2002, the Welsh Government established an independent commission, with Lord Richard
Ivor Richard, Baron Richard
Ivor Seward Richard, Baron Richard, PC , is a British politician belonging to the Labour Party and former member of the Commission of the European Communities.-Background:...
(former leader of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
) as chair, to review the powers and electoral arrangements of the National Assembly in order to ensure that it is able to operate in the best interests of the people of Wales. The Richard Commission reported in March 2004. It recommended that the National Assembly should have powers to legislate in certain areas, whilst others would remain the preserve of Westminster. It also recommended changing the electoral system to the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
(STV) which would produce greater proportionality
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
In response the UK Government, in its Better Governance for Wales White Paper, published on 15 June 2005, proposed a more permissive law-making system for the Welsh Assembly based on the use of Parliamentary Orders in Council. In so doing, the Government rejected many of the cross party Richard Commission's recommendations. This has attracted criticism from opposition parties and others.
Recent polls suggest that a majority of the Welsh support full legislative powers. Over 80% of people in Wales want a new parliament according to a new survey published in 2008 and Assembly members are willing to extend further powers to Cardiff Bay from Westminster.
Enhanced powers: The Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...
received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 25 July 2006. It confers on the Assembly legislative powers similar to other devolved
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
legislatures through the ability to pass Assembly Measures concerning matters that are devolved. Requests for further legislative powers made through legislative competence requests are subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
, House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
or House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
The Act reforms the assembly to a parliamentary-type structure, establishing the Welsh Government as an entity separate from, but accountable to the National Assembly. It enables the Assembly to legislate within its devolved fields.
The Act also reforms the Assembly's electoral system. It prevents individuals from standing as candidates in both constituency and regional seats. This aspect of the act was subject to a great deal of criticism, most notably from the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
.
The Act has been heavily criticised. Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
, the Official Opposition in the National Assembly from 1999–2007, attacked it for not delivering a fully-fledged Parliament. Many commentators have also criticised the Labour Party's allegedly partisan attempt to alter the electoral system. By preventing regional Assembly Members from standing in constituency seats the party has been accused of changing the rules to protect constituency representatives. Labour had 29 members in the Assembly at the time, all of whom held constituency seats.
The changes to the Assembly's powers were commenced on 4 May 2007, after the election.
Senedd
The debating chamber in Cardiff BayCardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
, the Senedd
Senedd
The Senedd , also known as the National Assembly building, houses the debating chamber and three committee rooms for the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The Senedd building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 March 2006 and the total cost was £69.6 million, which included £49.7M in...
(English:Senate), was designed by the Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
Partnership and built by Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow was one of the largest British housebuilding and general construction companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with rival George Wimpey to create Taylor Wimpey on 3 July 2007.-Early years:Frank Taylor was...
, with environmental and MEP design by BDSP Partnership. It uses traditional Welsh materials such as slate and Welsh Oak in its construction, and the design is based around the concepts of openness and transparency. The Timber ceiling and centre funnel, manufactured and installed by BCL Timber Projects (sub-contracted by Taylor Woodrow) is made from Canadian sourced Western Red Cedar.
The Senedd houses the debating chamber and Committee Rooms. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on St. David's Day, 1 March 2006.
Tŷ Hywel, Pierhead Building and Cathays Park Buildings
The debating chamber was initially based in Ty Hywel, next to the site of the present building. The offices of Assembly Members are still in this building which is connected to the Senedd by a skywaySkyway
In an urban setting, a skyway, catwalk, sky bridge, or skywalk is a type of pedway consisting of an enclosed or covered bridge between two buildings. This protects pedestrians from the weather. These skyways are usually owned by businesses, and are therefore not public spaces...
. The National Assembly for Wales Commission
Assembly Commission
The National Assembly for Wales Commission is the corporate body for the National Assembly for Wales. The Commission is responsible for ensuring the property, staff and services are provided for the Assembly...
is also responsible for the Pierhead Building
Pierhead Building
The Pierhead Building is a Grade 1 listed building of the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff Bay, Wales. It stands as one of the city of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks and was built in 1897 as the headquarters for the Bute Dock Company....
, which is the location of "The Assembly at the Pierhead" exhibition, and is the Visitor and Education Centre for the National Assembly for Wales as well as housing a small giftshop. The exhibition (currently still in the process of being updated following May's election) provides visitors with a unique opportunity to access the most up-to-date information on who's who, what's happening and how the Assembly works. Cathays Park consists of two buildings; the older building contains offices for the First Minister for Wales and senior civil servants, whilst the newer building is a large modern building built as an extension to the older building.
Elected officials
After each election, the Assembly elects one Assembly Member to serve as Presiding OfficerPresiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales is the Speaker of the National Assembly for Wales, elected by the Members of the National Assembly for Wales to chair their meetings ; to maintain order; and to protect the rights of Members.He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the...
, and another to serve as a deputy. Rosemary Butler
Rosemary Butler
Rosemary Butler began her career playing bass and singing in an all-girl band named the Ladybirds. The band appeared on several LA area television shows before opening for the Rolling Stones in 1964. She then joined all-female hard rock band Birtha who released two albums for Dunhill Records...
, Labour AM, has been Presiding Officer since the beginning of the 2011–2016 term, having taken over from Dafydd Elis Thomas. Lord Elis-Thomas, Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
AM, had been Presiding Officer since the Assembly's creation, standing down from the post in 2011. Butler had been his deputy since 2007. The Presiding Officer also acts as Chair of the National Assembly for Wales Commission
Assembly Commission
The National Assembly for Wales Commission is the corporate body for the National Assembly for Wales. The Commission is responsible for ensuring the property, staff and services are provided for the Assembly...
. Both the Presiding Officer and the Deputy Presiding Officer are expected not to vote.
Permanent officials
The permanent administrative and support staff of the Welsh Assembly are employed by the Assembly Commission They are not civil servants although they enjoy similar terms and conditions of service to members of the UK home civil service.Powers and status
The National Assembly consists of 60 elected members. They use the title Assembly Member (AM) or Aelod y Cynulliad (AC). The executive arm of the National Assembly for Wales, the Welsh Government, has been a Labour administration led by First Minister, Carwyn JonesCarwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...
, since May 2011. The previous administration (then known as the Welsh Assembly Government), had been a coalition between Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
—led by First Minister, Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...
—and Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
—led by Deputy First Minister
First Minister for Wales
The First Minister of Wales is the leader of the Welsh Government, Wales' devolved administration, which was established in 1999. The First Minister is responsible for the exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government; policy development and coordination; relationships with the...
, Ieuan Wyn Jones
Ieuan Wyn Jones
Ieuan Wyn Jones, AM is a Welsh politician, who was the Deputy First Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government from 2007 until 2011. Jones is the current leader of Plaid Cymru and Member of the National Assembly for Wales for the Ynys Môn constituency...
— from December 2009 and to May 2011.
The executive and civil servants are mainly based in Cardiff's Cathays Park
Cathays Park
In addition to the large lawn in front of the City Hall, Cathays Park includes three formal gardens. All of the spaces are within conservation areas and many of the surrounding buildings are listed. The open spaces are very important to the image of the city. Several important buildings overlook...
while the Assembly Members, the Assembly Commission and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
where a new £67 million Assembly Building, known as the Senedd
Senedd
The Senedd , also known as the National Assembly building, houses the debating chamber and three committee rooms for the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The Senedd building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 March 2006 and the total cost was £69.6 million, which included £49.7M in...
, has recently been built.
One important feature of the National Assembly until 2007 was that there was no legal or constitutional separation of the legislative and executive functions, since it was a single corporate entity. Compared with other parliamentary systems, and arrangements for devolution in other countries of the UK, this was unusual. In practice, however, there was separation of functions, and the terms "Assembly" and "Assembly Parliamentary Service" came into use to distinguish between the two arms. The Government of Wales Act 2006 regularised the separation when it came into effect following the 2007 Assembly Election.
Initially, the Assembly did not have primary legislative or fiscal powers, as these powers were reserved by Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. The Assembly did have powers to pass secondary legislation in devolved areas. Sometimes secondary legislation could be used to amend primary legislation
Primary legislation
Primary legislation is law made by the legislative branch of government. This contrasts with secondary legislation, which is usually made by the executive branch...
, but the scope of this was very limited. for example, the first Government of Wales Act gave the Assembly power to amend primary legislation relating to the merger of certain public bodies. However, most secondary powers were conferred on the executive by primary legislation to give the executive (i.e., Ministers) more powers, and the Assembly has had wider legislative powers than appearances might suggest. For example, the Assembly delayed local elections due to be held in 2003 for a year by use of secondary powers, so that they would not correspond with Assembly elections. In 2001 the UK parliament used primary legislation to delay for one month local elections in England during the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic.
The Assembly gained limited primary legislative powers following the 2007 election and the passage of the Government of Wales Act 2006. These laws are known as Assembly Measures and can be enacted in specific fields and matters within the legislative competency of the Assembly. New matters and fields can be devolved by Acts of the UK Parliament or by LCOs approved by Parliament.
While in principle the Assembly has no tax-varying powers, in reality it has some very limited power over taxes. For example, in Wales, as in England, the rate of Council Tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
is set by local authorities
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
, but since the Assembly largely determines the level of grants to local councils, it can influence the level of local taxation indirectly. It also has some discretion over charges for government services. Notable examples where this discretion has been used to create significant differences from other areas in the UK include:
- Charges for NHS prescriptions in Wales — these have now been abolished.
- Charges for University Tuition — are different for Welsh resident students studying at Welsh Universities, compared with students from or studying elsewhere in the UK.
- Charging for Residential Care — In Wales there is a flat rate of contribution towards the cost of nursing care, (roughly comparable to the highest level of English Contribution) for those who require residential care.
This means in reality that there is a wider definition of "nursing care" than in England and therefore less dependence on means testing in Wales than in England, meaning that more people are entitled to higher levels of state assistance. These variations in the levels of charges may be viewed as de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
tax varying powers.
This model of more limited legislative powers was partly due to the fact that Wales has had the same legal system as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
since 1536, when it was merged
Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542
The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 were parliamentary measures by which the legal system of Wales was annexed to England and the norms of English administration introduced. The intention was to create a single state and a single legal jurisdiction; frequently referred to as England and Wales...
with England. Ireland and Scotland were never merged by England, and so always retained some distinct differences in their legal systems. The Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
both have deeper and wider powers.
The Assembly inherited the powers and budget of the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
and most of the functions of the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
. It has power to vary laws passed by Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
using secondary legislation. Cheryl Gillan
Cheryl Gillan
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan is a British Conservative Party politician. She is currently the Secretary of State for Wales, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire....
, who represents the English constituency of Chesham and Amersham, in the Westminster Parliament is currently the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
.
Following a referendum on 4 March 2011, the Welsh Assembly gained direct law making powers, without the need to consult Westminster.
Devolved areas
The National Assembly for Wales has the competence to pass bills for Acts of the AssemblyAct of the National Assembly for Wales
In Wales, an Act of the National Assembly for Wales is primary legislation that can be made by the National Assembly for Wales under part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006...
in 20 "Subjects" outlined in schedule 7 of the Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...
.
Those subjects are:
- AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, fisheries, forestryForestryForestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and rural developmentRural developmentRural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside... - Ancient monumentRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of WalesThe Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body based in Aberystwyth, Wales. It was founded in August 1908...
s and historic buildingCadw-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
s - Culture
- Economic developmentEconomy of WalesThe Economy of Wales. In 2010, according to ONS provisional data, headline gross value added in Wales was £44,517m, making the Welsh economy the tenth largest of the UK's twelve regions ahead of only Northern Ireland and the North East of England...
- Education and trainingEducation in WalesEducation in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
- EnvironmentEnvironment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
- FireFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
and rescue servicesRescue squadA rescue company is a public service organization that uses specialized equipment and knowledge to rescue people. There are two typical applications: squads that rescue trapped people, and squads that rescue people who are having medical emergencies....
and promotion of fire safetyFire safetyFire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the... - FoodWelsh cuisineWelsh cuisine is the cuisine of Wales. It has influenced, and been influenced by, other British cuisine. Beef and dairy cattle are raised widely. Sheep farming is extensive in the country and lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking, particularly in dishes such as roast lamb...
- Health and health services
- Highways and transportTransport in WalesThis article is about means of transport within Wales. The geography of Wales has been a key influence on the development of its transport system, with the main settlements lying on the coasts of North and South Wales, while Mid Wales is lightly populated...
- HousingPublic housingPublic housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
- Local governmentLocal Government (Wales) Act 1994The Local Government Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as principal areas in the Act, and abolished the previous two-tier structure of counties and districts...
- Public administrationPublic administrationPublic Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
- Social welfare
- Sport and recreationSport in WalesThe most popular sports in Wales are rugby union and football. Like the other countries of the United Kingdom, Wales enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games, but competes as part of England in cricket...
- TourismTourism in WalesWales is an emerging tourist destination, with 8,078,900 visitors to National Trust and Welsh Tourist Board destinations in 2002. The industry has been estimated to have an annual turnover of £3.5 billion....
- TownUrban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
and country planning - WaterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
and flood defenceFlood mitigationFlood mitigation involves managing the effects of flooding, such as redirecting flood run-off, rather than trying to prevent it altogether. It is management of people, through measures such as evacuation and dry/wet proofing properties for example.... - Welsh languageWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
Members, constituencies, and electoral system
Under mixed member proportional representationMixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
, a type of additional member system
Additional Member System
The Additional Member System is the term used in the United Kingdom for the mixed member proportional representation voting system used in Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly....
, forty of the AMs are elected from single-member constituencies on a plurality voting system
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
(or first past the post) basis, the constituencies being equivalent to those used for the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and twenty AMs are elected from regional closed list
Closed list
Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected...
s using an alternative party vote. There are five regions: Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East and South Wales West (these are the same as the pre 1999 European Parliament constituencies for Wales), each of which returns four members. The additional members produce a degree of proportionality within each region. Whereas voters can choose any regional party list irrespective of their party vote in the constituency election, list AMs are not elected independently of the constituency element; rather, elected constituency AMs are deemed to be pre-elected list representatives for the purposes of calculating remainders in the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. Overall proportionality is limited by the low proportion of list members (33% of the Assembly compared with 43% in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and 50% in the German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
) and the regionalisation of the list element. Consequently, the Assembly as a whole has a greater degree of proportionality (based on proportions in the list elections) than the plurality voting system used for UK parliamentary elections, but still deviates somewhat from proportionality. The Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system had been considered for the Assembly by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
as early as 1995-96, but according to the evidence given to the Richard Commission by Ron Davies, a former Welsh Secretary
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
,
To date there have been four elections to the Assembly
Welsh Assembly elections
Since its formation in 1999, there have been three Welsh Assembly elections to the National Assembly for Wales:*National Assembly for Wales election, 1999*National Assembly for Wales election, 2003*National Assembly for Wales election, 2007...
, in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.
Elections
There have been four elections to the Assembly, in 1999Welsh Assembly election, 1999
The first National Assembly for Wales elections were held on 6 May 1999. The overall turnout of voters was 46.3%. Although the Welsh Labour Party were the biggest party, they did not gain enough seats to form a majority government and instead entered into coalition with the Liberal Democrats...
, 2003
Welsh Assembly election, 2003
The National Assembly for Wales election, 2003 was the second general election to the National Assembly for Wales. It was held on 1 May 2003.The election was characterised by a resurgence for the Labour Party, whilst Plaid Cymru saw a reduction in support and the number of Assembly Members they...
, 2007, and 2011.
|-
| || Total || 949,252 || || || 40 || || 949,388 || || || 20 || || 60 || ||
|}
Composition
| Affiliation | Members |
|
| Welsh Labour Party | 30 | |
| Welsh Conservative Party Welsh Conservative Party The Welsh Conservatives & Unionists , informally the Welsh Conservatives or Welsh Tories, are the part of the Conservative Party which operates in Wales... |
14 | |
| Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966... |
11 | |
| Welsh Liberal Democrats Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties of the federal Liberal Democrats and operate within Wales, the others being the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England.... |
5 | |
| Labour Minority |
0 | |
Following the 2011 election, Welsh Labour held exactly half of the seats in the Assembly, falling just short of an overall majority. This meant that only Labour can form a government. On 17 May, it was noticed that two members (Aled Roberts and John Dixon) elected for the Liberal Democrats held posts which disqualified them from being Assembly members. After investigation it emerged that Aled Roberts had received the wrong information from the Electoral Commission, and was re-admitted to the National Assembly after a vote by AMs. The Liberal Democrats withdrew a request to re-admit the other AM, John Dixon, who has been replaced by Eluned Parrott, who was second in the South Wales Central Region.
See also
- Contemporary Welsh LawContemporary Welsh LawContemporary Welsh Law is a term applied to the body of primary and secondary legislation generated by the National Assembly for Wales, according to devolved authority granted in the Government of Wales Act 2006. Each piece of Welsh legislation is known as an Act of the Assembly. The first Assembly...
(Assembly Acts) - List of Welsh Assembly by-elections
- London AssemblyLondon AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
- Members of the National Assembly for WalesMembers of the National Assembly for WalesThe National Assembly for Wales is composed of 60 members known as AMs or Assembly Members...
- National Assembly for Wales constituencies and electoral regions
- National Assembly for Wales election, 1999
- National Assembly for Wales election, 2003
- National Assembly for Wales election, 2007National Assembly for Wales election, 2007The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...
- National Assembly for Wales election, 2011National Assembly for Wales election, 2011The National Assembly for Wales election 2011 was the most recent election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the assembly's seats...
- Northern Ireland AssemblyNorthern Ireland AssemblyThe Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
- Scottish ParliamentScottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
- Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
- United Kingdom budgetUnited Kingdom budgetThe United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
External links
- National Assembly for Wales (Assembly website)
- WalesCymru: Assembly
- Welsh politicians, including those of Welsh descent in other countries
- Assembly website in Welsh/Gwefan y Cynulliad yn Gymraeg
- NAW: Constituencies and Electoral Regions (map of the constituencies showing current members)
- NAW: Who? - Elected Members (list of members by constituency)
- Government of Wales Act 1998
- Government of Wales Act 2006
- Government of Wales Act 2006 website
- BBC's Senedd guide
- National Assembly for Wales - Video