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{{Infobox Welsh Assembly| logo = | name = National Assembly for Wales| image_1 = Senedd.JPG| image_title_1 = Senedd-->

The National Assembly for Wales () is a [devolution National Assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Member, or AMs (). Members are elected for four year terms under an Mixed member proportional representation, where 40 AMs represent geographical National Assembly for Wales constituencies and electoral regions elected by the Plurality voting system system, and 20 AMs from National Assembly for Wales constituencies and electoral regions using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation.

Following a Wales referendum 1997 in 1997, the Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. Most of the powers of the Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales were transferred to the Assembly. When first created, the Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation, however, following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Assembly now has powers to legislate in some areas, though still subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales or United Kingdom Parliament.

History Road to the Assembly The establishment of the Welsh Office in 1964 effectively created the basis for the territorial governance of Wales. The road to the Welsh Assembly from BBC Wales History website. Retrieved 23 August 2006. 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. Devolution in the UK: Department for Constitutional Affairs. UK State website. Retrieved 9 July 2005. 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 Wales referendum, 1979. The 1979 Referendums: BBC website. Retrieved 9 July 2006.

After the United Kingdom General Election, 1997, 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 Cabinet of the United Kingdom by a Secretary of State for Wales who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster. Evidence to Richards Commission of Cllr Russell Goodway. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2006.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 just 6,712 votes. Politics 97 by Joshua Rozenberg: BBC website. Retrieved 9 July 2006.

The following year the Government of Wales Act 1998 was passed by United Kingdom parliament, establishing the Assembly.

Richard Commission Some Plaid Cymru politicians had argued that its powers were limited and confusing. Plaid calls for referendum on full Welsh parliament by Matthew Tempest: The Guardian, 2 August 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2006. In July 2002, the Welsh Assembly Government established an independent commission, with Ivor Richard, Baron 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. Richard Commission Website, includes copy of Commission report. Retrieved 9 December 2005 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 proportional representation.

In response the UK Government, in its Better Government 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. Better Governance for Wales White Paper. Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Wales in June 2005. Downloadable PDF. Retrieved 9 December 2005 Electoral Reform for Wales. Electoral Reform Society response to rejection of Richard Commission recommendations. Retrieved 9 December 2005. 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. Wales 'is warming to devolution'. BBC News, 3 May 2007. Accessed 10 May 2007..

Enhanced powers: The Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 25 July 2006. It confers on the Assembly legislative powers akin to other devolution legislatures, although Assembly Order-in-Council requests will be subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales, British House of Commons or House of Lords.The Act reforms the assembly to a parliamentary-type structure, establishing the Welsh Assembly 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 May 4th 2007, after the Welsh Assembly Election, 2007. Assembly powers bill becomes law: BBC News. 25 July 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2006.

Building

The Assembly building in Cardiff Bay, the Senedd (English:Senate), was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership and built by Taylor Woodrow . 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 Senedd houses the debating chamber () and Committee Rooms. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on St. David's Day, 1 March 2006. The New National Assembly for Wales Senedd opened on St David’s Day National Assembly for Wales, Public Information page. Retrieved 4 May 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.http://www.urban75.org/photos/wales/welsh-assembly-senedd.html

The Assembly was initially based in Crickhowell House, 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 walkway. The Assembly 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.

Elected Officials After each election, the Assembly elects one Assembly Member to serve as Presiding Officer (), and another to serve as a deputy. Dafydd Elis Thomas, Plaid Cymru AM, has been Presiding Officer since the Assembly was created, and was re-elected to the position on 9 May 2007. Rosemary Butler AM was elected as his deputy. The Presiding Officer also acts as Chair of the Assembly Commission.

Permanent Officials As with the Scottish Executive, the permanent administrative and support staff of the Welsh Assembly Government are UK civil servants with the same constitutional status as their colleagues in the Wales Office and other Whitehall departments. In the Assembly itself, following the politically controversial departure of veteran Westminster clerk Paul Silk following a clash of visions between him and the Presiding Officer, UK civil servant Claire Clancy was appointed both to take over Silk's role as Clerk to the Assembly and also to take up the new post of Chief Executive Officer to the newly founded Assembly Commission.

Powers and status The National Assembly consists of 60 elected members. They use the title Assembly Member (AM) or Aelod y Cynulliad (AC). The National Assembly for Wales, Civil rights — In Wales, Advice guide, Citizens Advice Bureau. Retrieved 2006-07-13. The executive arm of the Assembly Welsh Assembly Government, is led by First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. National Assembly for Wales, Organization Cabinet Members, Welsh Assembly

The executive and civil servants are mainly based in Cardiff's Cathays Park while the Assembly Members, the Assembly Parliamentary Service and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay where a new £67 million Assembly Building, known as the Senedd, has recently been built. National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Assembly Government in Guide to government: Devolved and local government, Directgov, UK state website. Retrieved 2006-07-13. Assembly Building: Welsh government website. Retrieved 2006-07-13. New assembly building opens doors: BBC News, 1 March 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-13.

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 highly unusual. In practice, however, there was separation of functions, and the terms "Assembly Government" 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 Parliament of the United Kingdom. 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).

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 government in the United Kingdom, 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. Q and A: Welsh prescription prices: BBC News, 1 October 2004. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
  • Charges for University Tuition — are different for Welsh resident students studying at Welsh Universities, compared with students from or studying elsewhere in the UK. Q&A: Welsh top-up fees: BBC News, 22 June 2005. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
  • 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.
    • "NHS Continuing Care - Commons Health Select Committee", News and Views - NHFA. Retrieved 2006-11-10.

    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 Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 by England. Ireland#Union with Britain (1801-1922) and Act of Union 1707 were never annexed 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. Peter Hain, whose principal UK cabinet role is as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and who represents a Welsh constituency (Neath) in the Westminster Parliament, retains a vestigial role as Secretary of State for Wales.

    Devolved areas The Welsh Assembly has the power to make legislation in the following areas Government of Wales Act 2006 Chapter 32 schedule 5:



    The National Assembly for Wales also has matters to legislate which governs the body itself, mainly the costs of passing Assembly Measures and the register of interests.

    Members, constituencies and electoral system Under mixed member proportional representation a type of Additional Member System Mixed-Member Proportional Voting in PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION VOTING SYSTEMS, Types of Voting Systems: PR Library created by Professor Douglas J. Amy, Department of Politics, Mount Holyoke College. Retrieved 8 July 2006. Electing the Welsh Assembly: Electoral Reform Society, information regarding Additional member system elections. Retrieved 9 December 2005. 40 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 British House of Commons and 20 AMs are elected from regional closed lists using an alternative party vote. The Welsh electoral system: BBC News, 7 June 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2006. There are five regions Mid and West Wales (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), North Wales (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), South Wales Central (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), South Wales East (National Assembly for Wales electoral region) and South Wales West (National Assembly for Wales electoral region) (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 to 43% in the Scottish Parliament and 50% in the German Bundestag) and the regionalisation of the list element.Chapter 12: The Electoral Arrangements of the Report of the Richard Commission: Commission on the Powers and Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales.'. PDF document. Retrieved 8 July 2006. 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 (UK) as early as 1995-96, but according to the evidence given to the Richard Commission by Ron Davies (British politician), a former Secretary of State for Wales,

    To date there have been three Welsh Assembly elections, in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

    Elections There have been three elections to the Assembly, in Welsh Assembly election, 1999, Welsh Assembly election, 2003 and Welsh Assembly election, 2007.

    {{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Labour Party |votes = 314,925 |votes % = 32.2 |votes net = -7.8 |seats = 24 |seats net = −5 |AMS votes = 288,954 |AMS votes % = 29.6 |AMS votes net = -6.9 |AMS seats = 2 |AMS seats net = +2 |Seats total = '''26''' |Seats net = −3 |Seats % = 43.3 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Plaid Cymru |votes = 219,121 |votes % = 22.4 |votes net = +1.2 |seats = 7 |seats net = +2 |AMS votes = 204,757 |AMS votes % = 21.0 |AMS votes net = +2.3 |AMS seats = 8 |AMS seats net = +1 |Seats total = '''15''' |Seats net = +3 |Seats % = 25.0 --> {{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Conservative Party |votes = 218,730 |votes % = 22.4 |votes net = +2.4 |seats = 5 |seats net = +4 |AMS votes = 209,153 |AMS votes % = 21.4 |AMS votes net = +2.3 |AMS seats = 7 |AMS seats net = -3 |Seats total = '''12''' |Seats net = +1 |Seats % = 20.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Liberal Democrats |votes = 144,450 |votes % = 14.8 |votes net = +0.6 |seats = 3 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 114,500 |AMS votes % = 11.7 |AMS votes net = -1.0 |AMS seats = 3 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''6''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 10.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Independent (politician) |votes = 29,699 |votes % = |votes net = |seats = 1 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 9,350 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''1''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 1.7 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = British National Party |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 42,197 |AMS votes % = 4.3 |AMS votes net = +4.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = United Kingdom Independence Party |votes = 18,047 |votes % = 1.8 |votes net = -0.5 |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 38,490 |AMS votes % = 4.0 |AMS votes net = +0.5 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Green Party of England and Wales |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 33,803 |AMS votes % = 3.5 |AMS votes net = -0.1 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Labour Party (UK) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 12,209 |AMS votes % = 1.2 |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Christian Party |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 8,963 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Communist Party of Britain |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 3,708 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group |votes = 3,348 |votes % = |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = ''N/A'' |AMS votes % = ''N/A'' |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Christian Peoples Alliance |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 2,694 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Party (England and Wales) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,865 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = RESPECT The Unity Coalition |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,792 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = English Democrats Party |votes = 1,867 |votes % = |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,655 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Veritas (political party) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 505 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Equality Party (UK) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 292 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->|-|   || Total || || || || 40 ||   || || ||   || 20 || || 60 ||   |||}

    Current composition {| class="wikitable"|-| colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | Affiliation| valign="top" | Members
    |-||| Welsh Labour Party| 15|-|| | [Welsh Conservative Party| 6|-|  | [Independent (politics) (Trish Law)], no party held a majority of seats in the Assembly. On Friday 25 May 2007, Rhodri Morgan was renominated unopposed as First Minister, the Queen then confirmed his appointment. Talk over a Plaid-lead "Rainbow Coalition" with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have come to nothing. Both Labour and Plaid have now formed a "One Wales" coalition between the Welsh Labour Party and Plaid Cymru. The deal was ratified by a special party conference of Welsh Labour members on July 6th and a National Council of Plaid Cymru members on July 7th.

    See also

    References External links {{Infobox Welsh Assembly| logo = | name = National Assembly for Wales| image_1 = Senedd.JPG| image_title_1 = Senedd-->

    The National Assembly for Wales () is a [devolution     National Assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Member, or AMs (). Members are elected for four year terms under an Mixed member proportional representation, where 40 AMs represent geographical National Assembly for Wales constituencies and electoral regions elected by the Plurality voting system system, and 20 AMs from National Assembly for Wales constituencies and electoral regions using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation.

    Following a Wales referendum 1997 in 1997, the Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. Most of the powers of the Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales were transferred to the Assembly. When first created, the Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation, however, following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Assembly now has powers to legislate in some areas, though still subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales or United Kingdom Parliament.

    History Road to the Assembly The establishment of the Welsh Office in 1964 effectively created the basis for the territorial governance of Wales. The road to the Welsh Assembly from BBC Wales History website. Retrieved 23 August 2006. 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. Devolution in the UK: Department for Constitutional Affairs. UK State website. Retrieved 9 July 2005. 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 Wales referendum, 1979. The 1979 Referendums: BBC website. Retrieved 9 July 2006.

    After the United Kingdom General Election, 1997, 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 Cabinet of the United Kingdom by a Secretary of State for Wales who did not represent a Welsh constituency at Westminster. Evidence to Richards Commission of Cllr Russell Goodway. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2006.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 just 6,712 votes. Politics 97 by Joshua Rozenberg: BBC website. Retrieved 9 July 2006.

    The following year the Government of Wales Act 1998 was passed by United Kingdom parliament, establishing the Assembly.

    Richard Commission Some Plaid Cymru politicians had argued that its powers were limited and confusing. Plaid calls for referendum on full Welsh parliament by Matthew Tempest: The Guardian, 2 August 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2006. In July 2002, the Welsh Assembly Government established an independent commission, with Ivor Richard, Baron 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. Richard Commission Website, includes copy of Commission report. Retrieved 9 December 2005 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 proportional representation.

    In response the UK Government, in its Better Government 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. Better Governance for Wales White Paper. Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Wales in June 2005. Downloadable PDF. Retrieved 9 December 2005 Electoral Reform for Wales. Electoral Reform Society response to rejection of Richard Commission recommendations. Retrieved 9 December 2005. 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. Wales 'is warming to devolution'. BBC News, 3 May 2007. Accessed 10 May 2007..

    Enhanced powers: The Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 25 July 2006. It confers on the Assembly legislative powers akin to other devolution legislatures, although Assembly Order-in-Council requests will be subject to the veto of the Secretary of State for Wales, British House of Commons or House of Lords.The Act reforms the assembly to a parliamentary-type structure, establishing the Welsh Assembly 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 May 4th 2007, after the Welsh Assembly Election, 2007. Assembly powers bill becomes law: BBC News. 25 July 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2006.

    Building

    The Assembly building in Cardiff Bay, the Senedd (English:Senate), was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership and built by Taylor Woodrow . 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 Senedd houses the debating chamber () and Committee Rooms. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on St. David's Day, 1 March 2006. The New National Assembly for Wales Senedd opened on St David’s Day National Assembly for Wales, Public Information page. Retrieved 4 May 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.http://www.urban75.org/photos/wales/welsh-assembly-senedd.html

    The Assembly was initially based in Crickhowell House, 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 walkway. The Assembly 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.

    Elected Officials After each election, the Assembly elects one Assembly Member to serve as Presiding Officer (), and another to serve as a deputy. Dafydd Elis Thomas, Plaid Cymru AM, has been Presiding Officer since the Assembly was created, and was re-elected to the position on 9 May 2007. Rosemary Butler AM was elected as his deputy. The Presiding Officer also acts as Chair of the Assembly Commission.

    Permanent Officials As with the Scottish Executive, the permanent administrative and support staff of the Welsh Assembly Government are UK civil servants with the same constitutional status as their colleagues in the Wales Office and other Whitehall departments. In the Assembly itself, following the politically controversial departure of veteran Westminster clerk Paul Silk following a clash of visions between him and the Presiding Officer, UK civil servant Claire Clancy was appointed both to take over Silk's role as Clerk to the Assembly and also to take up the new post of Chief Executive Officer to the newly founded Assembly Commission.

    Powers and status The National Assembly consists of 60 elected members. They use the title Assembly Member (AM) or Aelod y Cynulliad (AC). The National Assembly for Wales, Civil rights — In Wales, Advice guide, Citizens Advice Bureau. Retrieved 2006-07-13. The executive arm of the Assembly Welsh Assembly Government, is led by First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. National Assembly for Wales, Organization Cabinet Members, Welsh Assembly

    The executive and civil servants are mainly based in Cardiff's Cathays Park while the Assembly Members, the Assembly Parliamentary Service and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay where a new £67 million Assembly Building, known as the Senedd, has recently been built. National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Assembly Government in Guide to government: Devolved and local government, Directgov, UK state website. Retrieved 2006-07-13. Assembly Building: Welsh government website. Retrieved 2006-07-13. New assembly building opens doors: BBC News, 1 March 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-13.

    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 highly unusual. In practice, however, there was separation of functions, and the terms "Assembly Government" 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 Parliament of the United Kingdom. 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).

    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 government in the United Kingdom, 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. Q and A: Welsh prescription prices: BBC News, 1 October 2004. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
  • Charges for University Tuition — are different for Welsh resident students studying at Welsh Universities, compared with students from or studying elsewhere in the UK. Q&A: Welsh top-up fees: BBC News, 22 June 2005. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
  • 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.
    • "NHS Continuing Care - Commons Health Select Committee", News and Views - NHFA. Retrieved 2006-11-10.

    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 Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 by England. Ireland#Union with Britain (1801-1922) and Act of Union 1707 were never annexed 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. Peter Hain, whose principal UK cabinet role is as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and who represents a Welsh constituency (Neath) in the Westminster Parliament, retains a vestigial role as Secretary of State for Wales.

    Devolved areas The Welsh Assembly has the power to make legislation in the following areas Government of Wales Act 2006 Chapter 32 schedule 5:



    The National Assembly for Wales also has matters to legislate which governs the body itself, mainly the costs of passing Assembly Measures and the register of interests.

    Members, constituencies and electoral system Under mixed member proportional representation a type of Additional Member System Mixed-Member Proportional Voting in PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION VOTING SYSTEMS, Types of Voting Systems: PR Library created by Professor Douglas J. Amy, Department of Politics, Mount Holyoke College. Retrieved 8 July 2006. Electing the Welsh Assembly: Electoral Reform Society, information regarding Additional member system elections. Retrieved 9 December 2005. 40 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 British House of Commons and 20 AMs are elected from regional closed lists using an alternative party vote. The Welsh electoral system: BBC News, 7 June 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2006. There are five regions Mid and West Wales (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), North Wales (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), South Wales Central (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), South Wales East (National Assembly for Wales electoral region) and South Wales West (National Assembly for Wales electoral region) (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 to 43% in the Scottish Parliament and 50% in the German Bundestag) and the regionalisation of the list element.Chapter 12: The Electoral Arrangements of the Report of the Richard Commission: Commission on the Powers and Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales.'. PDF document. Retrieved 8 July 2006. 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 (UK) as early as 1995-96, but according to the evidence given to the Richard Commission by Ron Davies (British politician), a former Secretary of State for Wales,

    To date there have been three Welsh Assembly elections, in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

    Elections There have been three elections to the Assembly, in Welsh Assembly election, 1999, Welsh Assembly election, 2003 and Welsh Assembly election, 2007.

    {{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Labour Party |votes = 314,925 |votes % = 32.2 |votes net = -7.8 |seats = 24 |seats net = −5 |AMS votes = 288,954 |AMS votes % = 29.6 |AMS votes net = -6.9 |AMS seats = 2 |AMS seats net = +2 |Seats total = '''26''' |Seats net = −3 |Seats % = 43.3 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Plaid Cymru |votes = 219,121 |votes % = 22.4 |votes net = +1.2 |seats = 7 |seats net = +2 |AMS votes = 204,757 |AMS votes % = 21.0 |AMS votes net = +2.3 |AMS seats = 8 |AMS seats net = +1 |Seats total = '''15''' |Seats net = +3 |Seats % = 25.0 --> {{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Conservative Party |votes = 218,730 |votes % = 22.4 |votes net = +2.4 |seats = 5 |seats net = +4 |AMS votes = 209,153 |AMS votes % = 21.4 |AMS votes net = +2.3 |AMS seats = 7 |AMS seats net = -3 |Seats total = '''12''' |Seats net = +1 |Seats % = 20.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Liberal Democrats |votes = 144,450 |votes % = 14.8 |votes net = +0.6 |seats = 3 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 114,500 |AMS votes % = 11.7 |AMS votes net = -1.0 |AMS seats = 3 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''6''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 10.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Independent (politician) |votes = 29,699 |votes % = |votes net = |seats = 1 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 9,350 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''1''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 1.7 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = British National Party |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 42,197 |AMS votes % = 4.3 |AMS votes net = +4.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = United Kingdom Independence Party |votes = 18,047 |votes % = 1.8 |votes net = -0.5 |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 38,490 |AMS votes % = 4.0 |AMS votes net = +0.5 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Green Party of England and Wales |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 33,803 |AMS votes % = 3.5 |AMS votes net = -0.1 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Labour Party (UK) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 12,209 |AMS votes % = 1.2 |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Welsh Christian Party |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 8,963 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Communist Party of Britain |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 3,708 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group |votes = 3,348 |votes % = |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = ''N/A'' |AMS votes % = ''N/A'' |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Christian Peoples Alliance |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 2,694 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Party (England and Wales) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,865 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = RESPECT The Unity Coalition |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,792 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = English Democrats Party |votes = 1,867 |votes % = |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 1,655 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = ''N/A'' |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Veritas (political party) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 505 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->{{Template:AMS Election Summary Party| |party = Socialist Equality Party (UK) |votes = ''N/A'' |votes % = ''N/A'' |votes net = ''N/A'' |seats = 0 |seats net = 0 |AMS votes = 292 |AMS votes % = |AMS votes net = +0.0 |AMS seats = 0 |AMS seats net = 0 |Seats total = '''0''' |Seats net = 0 |Seats % = 0.0 -->|-|   || Total || || || || 40 ||   || || ||   || 20 || || 60 ||   |||}

    Current composition {| class="wikitable"|-| colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | Affiliation| valign="top" | Members
    |-||| Welsh Labour Party| 15|-|| | [Welsh Conservative Party| 6|-|  | [Independent (politics) (Trish Law)], no party held a majority of seats in the Assembly. On Friday 25 May 2007, Rhodri Morgan was renominated unopposed as First Minister, the Queen then confirmed his appointment. Talk over a Plaid-lead "Rainbow Coalition" with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have come to nothing. Both Labour and Plaid have now formed a "One Wales" coalition between the Welsh Labour Party and Plaid Cymru. The deal was ratified by a special party conference of Welsh Labour members on July 6th and a National Council of Plaid Cymru members on July 7th.

    See also

    References External links

    National Assembly for Wales
    Official information on the Welsh Assembly, its members and functions.

    National Assembly for Wales | Home page
    Describes the Assembly and its powers with information about its members, events and records of proceedings.

    National Assembly for Wales | About us
    page description here ... This section explains how the Assembly is elected, the difference between the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government, how the ...

    Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru | The Welsh Assembly Government
    The Welsh Assembly Government. The Welsh Assembly Government is the devolved government for Wales.

    National Assembly for Wales (introduction) | Case Studies | CABE
    Following a conclusive referendum in 1997, the National Assembly for Wales was created, with long-sought-after powers of home rule.

    Welsh Assembly Government | Statistics
    A wide range of topics are covered including demography, health, housing, education, training, agriculture, industry, the economy, local government, transport, the environment ...

    National Assembly for Wales - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    The National Assembly for Wales (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are ...

    Senedd.tv
    This is a template. ... English. Watch the National Assembly for Wales on the web

    National Assembly for Wales: Key Publications: TermCymru
    Agendas & Minutes, Annual Reports, Assembly Committees, Assembly Resolutions, Codes of Practice, Concordats, Consultation Papers, Documents Laid Before The Assembly, Information ...

    National Assembly for Wales
    Privacy: Under the Data Protection Act, we have a legal duty to protect any information that we collect from you. We do not pass on your details to any third party unless you give ...

     

    National Assembly For Wales



     
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