Senedd reform

We plan to strengthen democracy by creating a more effective and representative Welsh Parliament through:

• The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act
• The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill 

The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act sets out our plans to create a Welsh Parliament that can better serve people in Wales. The Act, which officially passed into law on 24 June 2024 reflects how the role and responsibilities of the Senedd have changed since the National Assembly for Wales first opened its doors in 1999.

The Senedd can now make laws and set Welsh taxes – these are decisions which affect the lives of every single person in Wales.

But while the Senedd gained responsibilities, its capacity stayed the same, making it the smallest legislature in the UK with 60 members compared to 129 in the Scottish Parliament, and 90 in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Changes brought about by the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act

On 8 May 2024, Members of the Senedd voted to:

• increase the size of the Senedd to 96 Members.
• change the electoral system to one fully based on the principle of proportional representation, with names of all candidates on the ballot paper. From the 2026 Senedd election, the D’Hondt formula will be used (this formula has been used to determine the Senedd’s regional list Members (Senedd reform: a glossary).
• make 16 new Senedd constituencies, which will be created by pairing the 32 UK Parliamentary constituencies, in time for the 2026 Senedd election. There will be a full boundary review after the 2026 Senedd election
• have 6 Members of the Senedd elected, from closed lists, in each of the 16 constituencies.
• increase the limit on the number of Welsh Ministers who can be appointed from 12 to 17 (plus the First Minister and the Counsel General) with the ability to further increase the number to 18 or 19 with the Senedd’s approval.
• give Members of the Senedd the flexibility to elect a second Deputy Presiding Officer.
• make it law that all candidates for Senedd elections and Members of the Senedd are resident in Wales.
• hold Senedd elections every 4 years from 2026 onwards.

The Act is based on the recommendations of the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform (Reforming our Senedd: A stronger voice for the people of Wales). These recommendations were supported by a majority of Senedd Members in June 2022.

Next steps

• Work is now underway to ensure the changes brought about by the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act will be in place for the 2026 Senedd election.
• The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill is undergoing scrutiny and will need the support of a super-majority of Members of the Senedd (40 of the Senedd’s 60 Members) to pass.

The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill was introduced on 11 March 2024. 

It aims to make our Senedd more effective by being more representative of the gender make-up of the people of Wales.

In 2003, Wales became the first country in the world to elect women to 50% of its parliament's seats. Over the 2 decades since the landmark 2003 election that proportion has fallen.

Women are now an under-represented majority in Wales. They make up 51% of the population, but just 43% of MSs and 31% of candidates in the last Senedd election. 

Proposed changes

The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill would place new responsibilities on political parties putting forward more than one candidate to ensure:

• Women make up at least half of their election candidates for each constituency.
• A woman is placed at the top of at least half of their constituency candidate lists.
• Each candidate on a list who is not a woman is followed by a woman.

Senedd reform is a Welsh Government Programme for Government commitment. The work is being carried out in collaboration with Plaid Cymru as part of the Co-operation Agreement.

The Special Purpose Committee recommendations draw on almost 20 years of detailed work, including:

• 2004: Report of the Commission on the Powers and Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales (the Richard Commission) 
• 2014: Devolution in Wales: the Silk Commission
• 2017: A Parliament that works for Wales: The report of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform
• 2018: Creating a Parliament for Wales: consultation undertaken by the Senedd Commission
• 2020: Senedd reform: The next steps - Committee on Senedd Electoral Reform

• The 2 Bills are now undergoing separate processes of scrutiny by Members of the Senedd.
• Following scrutiny, Members of the Senedd will vote to decide whether to support the 2 Bills.
• Each Bill will need to be supported by a super-majority of Members of the Senedd (40 of the Senedd’s 60 Members) to pass.
• If each Bill is passed, it is anticipated that the changes will take effect from the 2026 Senedd elections.

• Written Statement: Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill
• Written Statement: Update on Senedd Reform (27 July 2023) 
• Written Statement: Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
• Written Statement: Update on Senedd Reform (4 April 2023)
• Written Statement: Update on Senedd Reform (16 December 2022)
• Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: impact assessments
• Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill: impact assessments
• Reform Bill Committee (senedd.wales)