| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend Government of Wales Act 2006 and the Wales Act 2014 and to make provision about the functions of the Welsh Ministers and about Welsh tribunals; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2017 c. 4 |
| Introduced by | Alun Cairns (Commons) Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 31 January 2017 |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | Harbours Act 1964 Government of Wales Act 1998 Government of Wales Act 2006 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 Wales Act 2014 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
TheWales Act 2017 (c. 7) is anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out amendments to theGovernment of Wales Act 2006 anddevolves further powers toWales. The legislation is based on the proposals of theSt David's Day Command Paper.
The bill was proposed by theConservative Party in its manifesto for the2015 general election.[1]
The draft Wales Bill was presented in October 2015[2] and faced much criticism from the public over tests for competence (also known as "necessity tests"). As a result, the bill had been put on hold by the beginning of 2016.[3][4] An amended bill was introduced into theHouse of Commons on 1 June 2016.
One of the most important provisions is that the act moved Wales from a conferred matters model to areserved matters model, which is used in Scotland under theScotland Act 1998.[5] The act repealed the provision of theWales Act 2014 for areferendum in Wales on devolution ofincome tax.
The act gives extra powers to theNational Assembly for Wales and theWelsh Government:[6]
The act recognised the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government as permanent among UK's constitutional arrangements, with a referendum required before either can be abolished. The act has also recognised that there is a body ofWelsh law and it established the position ofPresident of Welsh Tribunals.[10]
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Constitutional law of Wales | |
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