Editing English law (section)

===Application of English law to Wales===
{{See also|Proposed Wales criminal justice system}}
Unlike [[Scotland]] and [[Northern Ireland]], [[Wales]] is not a separate [[Jurisdiction (area)|jurisdiction]] within the [[United Kingdom]]. The customary laws of [[Wales]] within the [[Kingdom of England]] were abolished by [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]'s [[Laws in Wales Acts]], which brought Wales into legal conformity with England.   While [[Wales]] now has a devolved [[Senedd|parliament (the Senedd)]], any legislation it passes [[Intra vires|must adhere to circumscribed subjects]] under the [[Government of Wales Act 2006]], to other legislation of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]], or to any [[Order in Council]] given under the authority of the 2006 Act.

Any reference to England in legislation between 1746 and 1967 is deemed to include Wales. As to later legislation, any application to Wales must be expressed under the [[Welsh Language Act 1967]] and the jurisdiction is, since, correctly and widely referred to as [[England and Wales]].  

[[Devolution]] has granted some political autonomy to [[Wales]] via the [[Welsh Parliament]], which gained its power to pass primary legislation under the [[Government of Wales Act 2006]], in force since the [[2007 Welsh general election]]. The legal system administered through civil and criminal courts is unified throughout [[England and Wales]].  

This is different from [[Northern Ireland]], for example, which did not cease to be a distinct [[jurisdiction (area)|jurisdiction]] when its legislature was suspended (see [[Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972]]).  A major difference is use of the [[Welsh language]], as laws concerning it apply in Wales and not in the rest of the [[United Kingdom]]. The [[Welsh Language Act 1993]] is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which put the Welsh language on an equal footing with the English language in Wales with regard to the public sector. Welsh may also be spoken in Welsh courts.

There have been calls from both Welsh academics and politicians for a separate [[Proposed Welsh justice system|Welsh justice system]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Written Statement: Update on the development of the justice system and the legal sector in Wales (30 September 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/written-statement-update-development-justice-system-and-legal-sector-wales |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=GOV.WALES |date=30 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-29 |title=Plaid Cymru call for devolution of justice to Wales - 'we can't be treated as an appendage to England' |url=https://nation.cymru/news/plaid-cymru-devolution-justice/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Nation.Cymru |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Devolution a 'necessary step' towards a better Welsh criminal justice system, academics argue |url=https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2678710-devolution-a-necessary-step-towards-a-better-welsh-criminal-justice-system,-academics-argue |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Cardiff University |language=en}}</ref>