Wales Office
 Printable version
|
Wales Bill powers to “deliver permanence and accountability”, says Alun Cairns
The new Wales Bill will turn the Welsh Assembly into a Parliament with accountability, Secretary of State Alun Cairns said today.
Speaking as the Wales Bill was introduced in Parliament - on the same day as the Senedd opens for its fifth session - Alun Cairns explained that the Bill will deliver a bold package of powers to Assembly members that can set in stone “ a strong and mature devolved Parliament”
The Bill will:
- make the Welsh Assembly permanent and more accountable to people in Wales
- build on last year’s historic funding floor announcement by enabling the Assembly to vary an element of income tax for the first time
- confirm in statute the existence of a body of Welsh law made by the Assembly for Wales and Welsh Ministers which forms part of the law of England and Wales
- reduce the number of areas in which Westminster currently has control - for example ports, speed limits and local elections - and pass those powers to the Assembly
Alun Cairns said:
Wales is an outward-looking nation that is already punching above its weight on the world stage.
With its distinct heritage and proud radical traditions, Wales is firmly on the path towards securing a strong and mature devolved Parliament. Today’s Bill is the next stage on that journey.
I look forward to working with the new Assembly, and together ensuring that Welsh democracy comes of age through a Wales Bill that delivers permanence and accountability.
