View source for Government of Wales Act 1998

{{Short description|Act of the UK Parliament}}
{{distinguish|Government of Wales Act 2006}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
|short_title=Government of Wales Act 1998
|type=Act
|parliament=Parliament of the United Kingdom 
|long_title=An Act to establish and make provision about the National Assembly for Wales and the offices of Auditor General for Wales and Welsh Administration Ombudsman; to reform certain Welsh public bodies and abolish certain other Welsh public bodies; and for connected purposes.
|year=1998
|citation=1998 c. 38
|introduced_commons= [[Ron Davies (Welsh politician)|Ron Davies]] MP, [[Secretary of State for Wales]]
|introduced_lords=[[Lord Williams of Mostyn]] Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
|territorial_extent=United Kingdom
|royal_assent={{start date and age|1998|07|31|df=y}}
|commencement= 
|amends=[[Act of Settlement 1701]]|amendments={{ubl|[[Learning and Skills Act 2000]]|[[Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004]]|[[Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005]]|[[Constitutional Reform Act 2005]]|[[Government of Wales Act 2006]]|[[Housing and Regeneration Act 2008]]|[[Wales Act 2014]]}}
|related_legislation= [[Referendums (Scotland & Wales) Act 1997]], [[Scotland Act 1998]], [[Northern Ireland Act 1998]]
|status=partially_repealed
|original_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/38/enacted
|revised_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/38?timeline=false&view=extent
|}}

The '''Government of Wales Act 1998''' (c. 38) ({{langx|cy|Deddf Llywodraeth Cymru 1998}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=Devolution in Wales: "A process, not an event" |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8318/ |website=commonslibrary.parliament.uk|date=3 October 2025 |last1=Torrance |first1=David }}</ref> is an [[Act of parliament|Act]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. Passed in 1998, the act created the [[Senedd|National Assembly for Wales]], [[Auditor General for Wales]] and transferred [[Welsh devolution|devolved]] powers to the assembly. The act followed the [[1997 Welsh devolution referendum]].

{{History of Wales}}

==Act==
The Government for Wales Act 1998 brought about the then National Assembly for Wales as a corporate body.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Government of Wales Act 1998 {{!}} Law Wales |url=https://law.gov.wales/constitution-and-government/constitution-and-devolution/government-wales-act-1998 |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=law.gov.wales}}</ref>

Under the 1998 act, the [[Senedd|Welsh Assembly]] received powers to legislate on powers previously held by the [[Secretary of State for Wales]]. Powers included agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food; ancient monuments and historic buildings; culture (including museums, galleries and libraries); economic development; education and training; the environment; health and health services; highways; housing; industry; local government; social services; sport and recreation; tourism; town and country planning; transport; water and flood defence; the Welsh language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Watkin |first=Thomas Glyn |title=The Legal History of Wales |publisher=University of Wales Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7083-2064-8 |location=Cardiff |pages=197 |language=English}}</ref>

The Act also established the [[Auditor General for Wales]] and the Welsh Administration Ombudsman and also gave the National Assembly for Wales the ability to reorganise some Welsh public bodies.<ref name=":0" />

== Bill provisions ==
On 26 November 1997, the Government of Wales Bill was first read in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. This followed the white paper policy objectives in further legal detail and added the "First Secretary" role to lead the executive committee of a "National Assembly" (rather than "Assembly for Wales"). The Assembly would be an independent "corporate body" able to make [[secondary legislation]] in devolved areas whereas primary legislation powers would stay at Westminster for all matters.The Welsh Assembly would be funded using a "block grant" similarly to the already existing [[Welsh Office]] using the [[Barnett formula]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Torrence |first=David |date=30 January 2023 |title=Devolution in Wales: "A process, not an event" |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8318/CBP-8318.pdf |pages=14–15}}</ref>

Welsh Assembly elections would include one vote for a constituency Assembly Member (AM) and one regional vote of Wales's five electoral regions. There would be 40 constituency AM's were elected "first past the post" and 20 "list" AMs were elected via the [[D'Hondt method]].<ref name=":1" />

Clause 34 of the Bill would allow the Assembly to consider “any matter affecting Wales” and a mechanism for potential further transfer of powers to allow the "process" of devolution to continue as suggested by [[Ron Davies (Welsh politician)|Ron Davies]].<ref name=":1" />

The Bill became an Act on 31 July 1998 and, on 1 July 1999, the Welsh Office was replaced with the "[[Office of the Secretary of State for Wales|Wales Office]]".<ref name=":1" />

==See also==

*[[Welsh devolution]]
*[[Scotland Act 1998]]
*[[Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)]]

== References ==
<references />

{{Welsh devolution}}{{Constitutional law of Wales}}

[[Category:Government of Wales]]
[[Category:Senedd]]
[[Category:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1998]]
[[Category:Constitutional laws of Wales]]
[[Category:Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Wales]]
[[Category:1998 in Wales]]
[[Category:Welsh devolution]]
[[Category:July 1998 in the United Kingdom]]