Welsh devolution referendum, 2011

Welsh devolution referendum

Do you want the Assembly now to be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has powers for?

Location

Date

3 March 2011

Results
	Votes	%
Yes	517,132	7001634900000000000♠63.49%
No	297,380	7001365100000000000♠36.51%
Valid votes	814,512	7001998600000000000♠99.86%
Invalid or blank votes	1,116	6999140000000000000♠0.14%
Total votes	815,628	100.00%
Registered voters/turnout	2,289,044	7001356300000000000♠35.63%

Results by unitary authorities

Yes — No

Referendum held: 3 March 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."

In the One Wales coalition agreement on 27 June 2007 the Wales Labour Party and Plaid Cymru made the commitment "to proceed to a successful outcome of a referendum for full law-making powers under Part IV of the Government of Wales Act 2006 as soon as practicable, at or before the end of the Assembly term". The two parties agreed "in good faith to campaign for a successful outcome to such a referendum" and to set up an All-Wales Convention to prepare for such a successful outcome.

On 27 October 2007 the then First Minister Rhodri Morgan and the Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones appointed Sir Emyr Jones Parry, the recently retired Permanent Representatives from Britain to the United Nations to head the convention. Sir Emyr stated on 22 November 2007 that he would like to begin to work as soon as possible and hoped to have the report ready by 2009 at the latest.

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