Wales Act 1978
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| 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 |
| Commencement | various[b] |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Wales Act 1978 (Repeal) Order 1979 (SI 1979/933) |
| Relates to | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |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 The act never took effect as a result of the "no" vote in 1979 Welsh devolution referendum and was repealed in 1979.[1]
Referendum and repeal
The act envisaged no separation between the executive and the legislature, similarly to the Government of Wales Act 1998.[2]
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As a result of the negative referendum outcome, the Act never took effect, and was repealed in accordance with the Act's own provisions by the Wales Act 1978 (Repeal) Order 1979.[4]
