page_title: Legislatures of the United Kingdom
section_title: Senedd Cymru
hierarchical_section_title: Legislatures of the United Kingdom / Devolved legislatures / Senedd Cymru
caption_attribution_description: English: Senedd, Welsh parliament, Cardiff Bay.
context_page_description: The Legislatures of the United Kingdom are derived from a number of different sources. The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body for the United Kingdom and the British overseas territories with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each having their own devolved legislatures. Each of the three major jurisdictions of the United Kingdom has its own laws and legal system.
context_section_description: The Welsh Parliament or Senedd Cymru (Senedd) has the power to make legislation in Wales. The parliament was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998, which followed a referendum in 1997. It is a democratically elected body with 60 members known as Members of the Senedd (MSs). Of these 40 MSs are elected using First past the post in single member constituencies and a further 20 MSs are elected using the D'Hondt method, a form of party-list proportional representation in five additional member regions with each region electing 4 MSs. The Welsh Parliament had no powers to initiate primary legislation until 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, making it possible for it to legislate in the 20 areas that are devolved without having to consult the UK Parliament, nor the Secretary of State for Wales. The Welsh Parliament may also delegate authority to enact legislation through Welsh Statutory Instruments. Under the Wales Act 2017 the Welsh Parliament came into line with Scotland and Northern Ireland and moved to a resevered powers model.
caption: The Welsh Parliament meets in Cardiff
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