| 释义 |
Welsh Parliament
(Senedd Cymru) A body established in 1999 under the Government of Wales Act 1998 as the National Assembly for Wales (Welsh Assembly). It has 60 elected salaried members. Until 2007 the Assembly did not have legislative or taxing powers, exercising instead a diverse range of functions, such as housing, education, economic development, and flood defence; it also took over many of the powers and responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Wales. The Assembly gained limited primary legislative powers under the Government of Wales Act 2006 and, following a referendum in July 2012, gained direct law-making powers, without the need to consult Westminster. Its powers were further extended by the Wales Act 2014 and the Wales Act 2017. In 2016 the Assembly announced that it would change its name to the Welsh Parliament or Senedd Cymru, which took effect in 2020. See also devolution. |