Wales Act 2017


The Wales Act 2017 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out amendments to the Government of Wales Act 2006 and devolves further powers to Wales. The legislation is based on the proposals of the St David's Day Agreement which were not included in the Wales Act 2014.

Background

The bill was proposed by the Conservative Party in its manifesto for the 2015 general election.
The draft Wales Bill was presented in October 2015 and faced much criticism from the public over tests for competence. As a result, the bill had been put on hold by the beginning of 2016. An amended bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 1 June 2016.

Main provisions

One of the most important provisions is that the Act moved Wales from a conferred matters model to a reserved matters model, which is used in Scotland under the Scotland Act 1998. The Act repealed the provision of the Wales Act 2014 for a referendum in Wales on devolution of income tax.
The Act gives extra powers to the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government:
The Act recognised the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government as permanent among UK's constitutional arrangements, with a referendum required before either can be abolished. The Act has also recognised that there is a body of Welsh law and it established the position of President of Welsh Tribunals.