Politics in Wales

The National Assembly

The National Assembly for Wales consists of 60 Assembly Members (known as AMs). The work of this democratically elected body includes:

scrutinising the decisions of the Welsh Government (AMs ask ministers questions or propose new policies)
passing legislation (eg, the ban on smoking in public places)
acting as a distinct ‘voice for Wales’.

If one political party has the majority they form the Welsh Government. If no one party has a majority then parties will seek to make supportive agreements amongst themselves or more formal arrangements known as a coalition.

Further information

To find out more about the Welsh Government, and who the constituency members are, go to www.assemblywales.org.

The Welsh Government

The Welsh Government is led by the First Minister and a Cabinet of Ministers. The Welsh Government's remit includes:

setting budgets (the 2010 Budget totalled £14.5 billion)
developing policy (eg, School Nursing Strategy)
the operational direction of the NHS in Wales (eg, setting waiting time targets)
creating and abolishing health agencies and assembly-sponsored public bodies (eg, Local Health Boards or Care Standards Inspectorate Wales)