Welsh Office: Devolution Group: Registered Files (DEW Series)

This series contains records from the Welsh Office's Devolution Group. These records are primarily focused on Welsh Office arrangements for the 1997 Devolution Referendum and drafting of the relevant legislation, as well as preparations for the new National Assembly for Wales following a victory for the 'Yes' campaign on Welsh devolution.

• Welsh Office, 1965-1999
• Welsh Office, Devolution Group, 1997-2003

In 2020 Welsh Government

Topics

Devolution

In May 1997, the Labour government of Tony Blair was elected with a promise of creating a devolved assembly in Wales.

The referendum resulted in a 'Yes' vote and led to the creation of The National Assembly for Wales under the Government of Wales Act 1998.

The Government of Wales Act 2006 which created an executive body, the Welsh Assembly Government, separate from the legislature, the National Assembly for Wales. It also conferred on the National Assembly some limited legislative powers.

The Welsh Office's Devolution Unit was responsible for all devolution policy, as well as planning for the creation of a National Assembly (which was a manifesto commitment of the Labour Party). The Devolution Unit was not part of a larger group within the Welsh Office, and worked directly to the Permanent Secretary. By 2003, the unit had been disbanded and any residual work subsumed by other divisions.