2011 Welsh devolution referendum

A referendum on the powers of the <a href="/facts/National_Assembly_for_Wales/UVeACTS7">National Assembly for Wales</a> was held on 3 March 2011. Voters were asked whether the Assembly should have full law-making powers in <a href="/facts/Government_of_Wales_Act_2006/oSHxMmjc">the twenty subject areas</a> where it has jurisdiction. The referendum asked the question: ‘Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?’
If a majority voted 'yes', the Assembly would then be able to make laws, known as <a href="/facts/Act_of_the_National_Assembly_for_Wales/DYQvKCH1">Acts of the Assembly</a>, on all matters in the subject areas, without needing the <a href="/facts/UK_Parliament/7bFbPI9g">UK Parliament</a>'s agreement. If a majority voted 'no', the arrangements at the time of the referendum would have continued – that is, in each devolved area, the Assembly would be able to make its own laws on some matters, but not others. To make laws on any of these other matters, the Assembly would have had to ask the UK Parliament to transfer the powers to it. Regulations for the referendum, and the powers to be approved or rejected by it, were provided for in the <a href="/facts/Government_of_Wales_Act_2006/oSHxMmjc">Government of Wales Act 2006</a>.
The results of the referendum were announced on 4 March 2011. Overall, 63.49% voted 'yes', and 36.51% voted 'no'. In 21 of 22 <a href="/facts/Local_government_in_Wales/oPgSWRdV">local authorities</a> the vote was 'yes', with the exception being <a href="/facts/Monmouthshire/BJmQe0Pa">Monmouthshire</a> by a slim majority. The overall turnout was 35.2%. <a href="/facts/First_Minister_of_Wales/41l43k4f">First Minister</a> <a href="/facts/Carwyn_Jones/hNFXlxJV">Carwyn Jones</a>, welcoming the result, said: "Today an old nation came of age."
While the referendum was technically <a href="/facts/Non-binding_referendum/DaF49jCL">non-binding</a>, it gave the <a href="/facts/Welsh_Government/WkRLquvy">Welsh Government</a> the statutory authority to make a <a href="/facts/Ministerial_order/3kkC5JnB">ministerial order</a> triggering the relevant changes in the Assembly's powers. The order was duly made on 30 March and <a href="/facts/Came_into_force/toFJzq1z">came into force</a> on 5 May 2011, the day of <a href="/facts/2011_National_Assembly_for_Wales_election/S9DKgAv5">the quadrennial Assembly election</a>.

2011 Welsh devolution referendum open-in-new

2011 Welsh devolution referendum