Welsh Devolution Referendum, 2011

Welsh Devolution Referendum, 2011

A referendum on extending the law-making powers of the National Assembly for Wales was held in Wales on 3 March 2011. 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 able to make laws, known as Acts of the Assembly, on all matters in the subject areas, without needing the UK Parliament'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.

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 local authorities the vote was 'yes', with the exception being Monmouthshire by a slim majority. The overall turnout was 35.2%. First Minister Carwyn Jones, welcoming the result, said: "Today an old nation came of age."

Read more about Welsh Devolution Referendum, 2011:  Background, Opinion Polls and Comments, Reactions To The Result, See Also

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