Wales Act 1978

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Wales Act 1978
Act of Parliament
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (variant 1, 1952-2022).svg
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title An Act to provide for changes in the government of Wales and in the constitution and functions of certain public bodies.
Citation 1978 c. 52
Introduced by Michael Foot
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent 31 July 1978
Other legislation
Repealed by
  • Wales Act 1978 (Repeal) Order 1979 (SI 1979/933)
Relates to Government of Wales Act 1998
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Wales Act 1978 (c. 52) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to introduce a limited measure of self-government in Wales through the creation of a Welsh Assembly. The act never took effect as a result of the "no" vote in 1979 Welsh devolution referendum and was repealed in 1979. [1]

Contents

Provisions

The act envisaged no separation between the executive and the legislature, similarly to the Government of Wales Act 1998. [2]

Referendum and repeal

The Wales Act 1978 included a requirement for a "post-legislative" referendum to be held in Wales to approve the Act's coming into force. [3]

The referendum was held on 1 March 1979. The proposal was defeated with a total of 243,048 (20.26%) voting favour of an Assembly and 956,330 (79.74%) voting against.

As a result of the negative referendum outcome, the Act never took effect, and was repealed in accordance with the Act's own provisions by the Wales Act 1978 (Repeal) Order 1979. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Powys, Betsan (14 July 2008). "Look this way". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. ↑ Evans, Adam (3 May 2024). "Welsh devolution 1999–2021: constitutional instability amidst institutionalized conservatism?". Parliaments, Estates and Representation. 44 (2): 208–226. doi:10.1080/02606755.2023.2295073. ISSN   0260-6755.
  3. ↑ Edwards, Huw (18 September 2017). "Devolution in Wales is here to stay – Brexit must not change that". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Wales Act 1978 (Repeal) Order 1979".
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