Wales votes ‘yes’ in referendum
4 March 2011
The Welsh electorate has voted ‘yes’ in the referendum on the law-making powers of the National Assembly for Wales.
It means the National Assembly for Wales will no longer have to ask permission from Westminster to make laws relating to our schools, hospitals and the other 20 devolved areas in which it can already legislate.
Presiding Officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas has said that this is the only the beginning of the challenge.
“By voting yes, the people of Wales have placed their trust in us to meet a very clear challenge.
”We must demonstrate to them that their Assembly understands their ambitions for Wales, and is able to engage with them to realise those ambitions.
“That is why the Assembly Commission has already embarked on a process of improving the way we work in order to allow more people to play a direct role in the work that we do.”
The National Assembly for Wales Commission will publish proposals to change the Assembly’s Standing Orders (rules that govern how the Assembly operates) next week.
These changes aim to give Assembly Members more scope to reflect the needs of the people of Wales in the law-making and government scrutiny process.
The people of Wales will now get an opportunity to choose who will represent them in the Assembly, and who will use these new powers, in the Assembly election on May 5.
More information
Before the Assembly can start making laws in these areas, the Welsh Government have to table an Order, with the approval of the Assembly, which will bring Part 4 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 into force.
Part 4 of the Act lists all the areas in which the Assembly can make law after a ‘yes’ vote in a referendum.
The Order will also need to make arrangements for a smooth transition to the new procedures for making laws by the Assembly. These new laws will be called Assembly Acts rather than Assembly Measures.
This Order will need to be approved by a majority of Assembly Members in a Plenary vote before it can come into force.
For further details of the new law-making powers of the National Assembly for Wales visit our website here.