Senedd

This article is about the devolved parliament of Wales. For the building housing it, see Senedd building.

Senedd Cymru
Welsh Parliament
6th Senedd
Type
Type
SovereignKing of the United Kingdom
History
Founded12 May 1999
Preceded byWelsh Office (1965–1999)
New session started
6 May 2021
Leadership
Charles III
since 8 September 2022
Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru
since 11 May 2016
David Rees, Labour
since 12 May 2021
Eluned Morgan, Labour
since 6 August 2024
Jane Hutt, Labour
since 21 March 2024
Andrew RT Davies, Conservative
since 24 January 2021
Structure
Seats60 [b]
Political groups
Government (30)
  Labour (30)[a]

Opposition (30)

  Conservative (16)
  Plaid Cymru (12)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
  Independent (1)[1]
Elections
Additional-member system (until 2026)
Party-list proportional representation (closed list) (from 2026) [2]
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
On or before 7 May 2026
Meeting place
Siambr (debating chamber) in the Senedd building, Cardiff, Wales
Website
senedd.wales Edit this at Wikidata

The Senedd (/ˈsɛnɛð/ ⓘ SEN-edh; lit. 'parliament' or 'senate'), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and Senedd Cymru ([ˈsɛnɛð ˈkəmrɨ]) in Welsh,[3] is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees to certain taxes, and scrutinises the Welsh Government.[4] It is a bilingual institution, with both Welsh and English being the official languages of its business.[5] From its creation in May 1999 until May 2020, the Senedd was officially known as the National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) and was often simply called the Welsh Assembly.[6]

The Senedd comprises 60 members who are known as members of the Senedd (Aelodau o'r Senedd),[7] abbreviated as "MS" (Welsh: AS).[8] Since 2011, members are elected for a five-year term of office under an additional member system, in which 40 MSs represent smaller geographical divisions known as "constituencies" and are elected by first-past-the-post voting, and 20 MSs represent five "electoral regions" using the D'Hondt method of proportional representation. Typically, the largest party in the Senedd forms the Welsh Government.

A National Assembly for Wales was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998, following the result of the 1997 referendum. The Assembly initially had no powers to make primary legislation. 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, meaning that the UK Parliament or the Secretary of State for Wales were no longer consulted when passing acts of the National Assembly for Wales related to the 20 devolved areas.[9] These powers were further extended by the Wales Act 2014 and Wales Act 2017, with the latter moving the Assembly to a reserved powers model of devolution like that of the Scottish Parliament. In May 2020, the Assembly was renamed to "Senedd Cymru" or "the Welsh Parliament" when section 2 of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 came into force. The Senedd's powers in economic matters are significantly restricted by the UK Internal Market Act 2020,[10] a primary purpose of which is to constrain the capacity of the devolved institutions to use their regulatory autonomy.[11] Matters devolved to the Senedd include health, education, economic development, transport, the environment, agriculture, local government and some taxes.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Plaid Cymru Senedd member Rhys ab Owen suspended from party group". BBC News. 8 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Historic Act strengthens democracy in Wales | GOV.WALES". 24 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Senedd Cymru and Welsh Parliament names become law". senedd.wales. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  4. ^ "What is the role of the Senedd?". Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ^ Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament. National Assembly for Wales (Official Languages) Act 2012 as amended (see also enacted form), from legislation.gov.uk.
  6. ^ Thompson, Rick (25 November 2004). Writing for Broadcast Journalists. Routledge. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-134-36915-7. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020". Legislation.gov.uk. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Senedd and Elections (Wales) Bill" (PDF). senedd.wales.
  9. ^ "Wales says Yes in referendum vote". BBC News. 4 March 2011.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Restrict20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference DouHu22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).