The Welsh government and the National Assembly for Wales are based in Cardiff, the Welsh capital. The Assembly has 60 members, called Assembly Members (AMs). Elections take place every four years and use a form of proportional representation. Members can speak in Welsh or English, and everything the Assembly publishes is in both languages.
The Assembly can pass laws for Wales in 21 areas, among them education and training, health and social services, economic development, and housing. Since 2011, it has been able to make laws in these areas without the agreement of the UK Parliament.
The Senedd building in Cardiff Bay opened in 2006. It was designed by the British architect Richard Rogers. All the glass is meant to stand for openness, and members of the public can walk freely into its public hall.
Photo: Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quiz
How many Assembly Members (AMs) sit in the National Assembly for Wales?
The National Assembly for Wales has 60 members, elected every four years. 129 is the number of members of the Scottish Parliament, and 108 is the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Quiz
Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?
Since 2011, the National Assembly for Wales has needed the UK Parliament's approval before making laws on matters such as housing or education.
False. Since 2011, the National Assembly for Wales has been able to make laws in its 21 areas (such as education and training, health and social services, economic development and housing) without the UK Parliament's agreement.
Quiz
Which of these statements about the National Assembly for Wales is correct?
Members may speak in Welsh or English, and everything the Assembly publishes is in both languages. The Assembly is in the capital, Cardiff, not Swansea, and its members are elected by proportional representation, not first past the post.
Scotland: the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
The Scottish Parliament was set up in 1999 and sits in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It has 129 members, called MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament), who are elected by a form of proportional representation.
The Scottish Parliament has more power than the Welsh Assembly. It can make laws for Scotland on anything that is not specifically kept for the UK Parliament, such as civil and criminal law, health, education and planning, and it also has some extra powers to raise taxes.
The Parliament's own building at Holyrood wasn't finished until 2004, so for its first five years MSPs met in the Church of Scotland's General Assembly Hall in Edinburgh. The new building ended up costing far more than planned, which caused quite a row at the time.
Quiz
How many members are there in the Scottish Parliament?
The Scottish Parliament has 129 members (MSPs). 60 is the National Assembly for Wales and 108 is the Northern Ireland Assembly. These three numbers are easy to mix up, so make sure you can tell them apart before the test.
Quiz
Which TWO of these are matters on which the Scottish Parliament can make laws?
The Scottish Parliament can make laws on anything not specifically kept for the UK Parliament, such as civil and criminal law, health, education and planning, and it has extra powers to raise taxes. Foreign affairs and immigration are kept by the UK government, so they are the wrong answers.
Quiz
Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?
Members of the Scottish Parliament are elected using the first past the post system.
False. Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are elected by a form of proportional representation. First past the post is how MPs are elected to the House of Commons in London.
