Government of Wales Act 2006
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The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system of government with a separate executive drawn from and accountable to the legislature.
It has the following provisions:
- creates an executive body — the Welsh Assembly Government - that is separate from the legislative body, that is, the National Assembly for Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government is therefore altered from being a committee of the National Assembly to being a distinct body
- forbids candidates both contesting constituencies and being on a regional list
- provides a mechanism for Orders in Council to delegate power from Parliament to the Assembly, which will the give the Assembly powers to make "Measures" (Welsh Laws). Schedule 5 of the Act describes the fields in which the assembly has Measure making powers.
- provides for a referendum for further legislature competencies, to be known as "Acts of the Assembly"
- creates a Welsh Seal and a Keeper of the Welsh Seal (the First Minister)
- creates a Welsh Consolidated Fund
- creates the post of Counsel General as a member of the Welsh Assembly Government and its chief legal adviser.
- assigns to the Queen new functions of formally appointing Welsh ministers and granting Royal Assent to Acts of the Assembly.
The bill received Royal Assent on 25 July 2006.
[edit] Criticism
The Government of Wales Act 2006 was heavily criticised by Plaid Cymru for not delivering a fully-fledged parliament.[citation needed]
