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ReadChapter 5

The UK Government, the Law and your Role

5.3.7.1 The Welsh government

The Welsh government and National Assembly for Wales are based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The National Assembly has 60 Assembly members (AMs) and elections are held every four years using a form of proportional representation. Members can speak in either Welsh or English and all of the Assembly’s publications are in both languages.

The Assembly has the power to make laws for Wales in 20 areas, including:

education and training health and social services economic development housing.

Since 2011, the National Assembly for Wales has been able to pass laws on these topics without the agreement of the UK Parliament.

The Welsh Assembly building, opened in March 2006
The Welsh Assembly building, opened in March 2006G-13114 / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-4.0

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. View licence.

© Crown copyright. Source text from Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition, 2013), reproduced verbatim under OGL v3.0.