Editing Wales (section)

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Wales}}
{{See also|Politics of the United Kingdom|Welsh devolution}}
[[File:Senedd.JPG|thumb|The [[Senedd building]], designed by [[Richard Rogers]], opened on [[Saint David's Day|St David's Day]] 2006.]]
Wales is a country that is part of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom.<ref name="ONS Geography Guide" /> [[ISO 3166-2:GB]] formerly defined Wales as a principality, with England and Scotland defined as countries and Northern Ireland as a province.<ref name="ISO 3166-2 2011 newsletter">{{cite web |url=https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/archive/pdf/en/iso_3166-2_newsletter_ii-3_2011-12-13.pdf |title=ISO 3166-2 NEWSLETTER |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=15 December 2011 |website=[[International Organization for Standardization]] |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> However, this definition was raised in the Welsh Assembly in 2010 and the then [[Counsel General for Wales]], [[John Griffiths (Welsh politician)|John Griffiths]], stated, 'Principality is a misnomer and that Wales should properly be referred to as a country.'<ref>{{cite news |date=3 July 2010 |title=UN report causes stir with Wales dubbed'Principality' |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/un-report-causes-stir-wales-1906214 |work=[[Media Wales#WalesOnline|WalesOnline]] |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> In 2011, ISO 3166-2:GB was updated and the term 'principality' was replaced with 'country'.<ref name="ISO 3166-2 2011 newsletter" /> UK Government toponymic guidelines state that, 'though there is a Prince of Wales, this role is deemed to be titular rather than exerting executive authority, and therefore Wales is described as a country rather than a principality.'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/toponymic-guidelines/toponymic-guidelines-for-map-and-other-editors-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland--2#fnref:23 |title=Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 2024 |website=[[gov.uk]] |publisher=[[UK Government|HM Government]] |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref>

In the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] – the 650-member [[lower house]] of the UK Parliament – there are 32 [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|members of Parliament]] (MPs) who [[List of MPs for constituencies in Wales (2024–present)|represent Welsh constituencies]]. At the [[2024 United Kingdom general election in Wales|2024 general election]], 27 [[Welsh Labour|Labour]] and [[Labour Co-op]] MPs were elected, along with 4 [[Plaid Cymru]] MPs and 1 [[Welsh Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] MP from Wales.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Ciaran|title=These are the 40 MPs who have been elected across Wales|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2017-40-mps-13157234|website=[[Wales Online]]|date=9 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Masters |first=Adrian |url=https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2024-07-04/general-election-overnight-results-and-analysis-from-wales |title=General Election overnight results and analysis from Wales |work=[[ITV News]] |date=5 July 2024 |access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref> The [[Wales Office]] is a department of the UK government responsible for Wales, whose minister, the [[Secretary of State for Wales]] (Welsh secretary), sits in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|UK cabinet]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-wales/about|title=About us|website=GOV.UK|date=7 October 2024 }}</ref>

Wales has a [[Devolution in the United Kingdom|devolved]], [[unicameral]] legislature known as the [[Senedd]] (Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament) which holds devolved powers from the UK Parliament via a reserved powers model.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Powers |url=https://senedd.wales/how-we-work/our-role/powers |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=senedd.wales }}</ref>

For the purposes of [[Local government in Wales|local government]], Wales has been divided into 22 council areas since 1996. These "principal areas"<ref>Part 1, Local Government (Wales) Act 1994</ref> are responsible for the provision of all local government services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Authorities |url=http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/localgovernment/localauthorities/?lang=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530004428/http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/localgovernment/localauthorities/?lang=en |archive-date=30 May 2014 |access-date=9 September 2010 |publisher=[[Welsh Government]]}}</ref>

=== Devolved Government ===
{{Main|2 = Welsh Government|3 = Senedd}}
[[File:First Minister meeting with First Minister of Wales - 52943408033.jpg|thumb|right|First Minister Mark Drakeford meets with First Minister of Scotland [[Humza Yousaf]] in Edinburgh, 2023]]
Following [[Devolution in the United Kingdom|devolution]] in 1997, the [[Government of Wales Act 1998]] created a Welsh devolved assembly, the [[National Assembly for Wales]], with the power to determine how Wales's central government budget is spent and administered.<ref name="Wyn Jones">{{cite book |last1=Wyn Jones |first1=Richard |title=Wales says yes : devolution and the 2011 Welsh referendum |date=2012 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff |isbn=978-0-7083-2485-1}}</ref> Eight years later, the [[Government of Wales Act 2006]] reformed the [[National Assembly for Wales]] and allowed further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act also created a system of government with a separate executive, the Welsh Government, drawn from and accountable to the legislature, the National Assembly. Following a successful referendum in 2011, the National Assembly was empowered to make laws, known as Acts of the Assembly, on all matters in devolved subject areas, without requiring the UK Parliament's approval of legislative competence. It also gained powers to raise taxes.<ref name="Expert Panel">{{cite book |last1=McAllister |first1=Laura |last2=Campbell |first2=Rosie |last3=Childs |first3=Sarah |last4=Clements |first4=Rob |last5=Farrell |first5=David |last6=Renwick |first6=Alan |last7=Silk |first7=Paul |title=A parliament that works for Wales |date=2017 |publisher=National Assembly for Wales |location=Cardiff |url=https://senedd.wales/media/eqbesxl2/a-parliament-that-works-for-wales.pdf |ref={{harvid|Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform 2017}}|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref>{{rp|33–34}} In May 2020, the National Assembly was renamed "Senedd Cymru" or "the Welsh Parliament", commonly known as the Senedd in both English and Welsh.<ref name="Senedd Cymru name">{{Cite web |title=Senedd Cymru and Welsh Parliament names become law |url=https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/news/senedd-cymru-and-welsh-parliament-names-become-law/ |date=11 May 2020 |access-date=22 June 2024 |website=Welsh Parliament }}</ref>

Devolved areas of responsibility include agriculture, economic development, education, health, housing, local government, social services, tourism, transport and the Welsh language.<ref>{{cite web |title=Making laws for Wales |url=http://www.assemblywales.org/abthome/making-laws-for-wales.htm |access-date=6 October 2010 |publisher=National Assembly for Wales |year=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922170818/http://assemblywales.org/abthome/making-laws-for-wales.htm |archive-date=22 September 2010 }}; {{cite web |title=Schedule 5 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 (as amended) |url=http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/bus-legislation-guidance/bus-legislation-guidance-documents/legislation_fields/schedule-5.htm |access-date=6 October 2010 |publisher=National Assembly for Wales |year=2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120052232/http://assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/bus-legislation-guidance/bus-legislation-guidance-documents/legislation_fields/schedule-5.htm |archive-date=20 November 2010 }}</ref> The Welsh Government also promotes Welsh interests abroad.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2019/02/expanding-wales-international-footprint/|first=Owain|last=Richards|title=Expanding Wales' international footprint|publisher=IWA|date=8 February 2019|access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>

===Law===
{{Main|2 = Welsh law|3 = Law of the United Kingdom|4 = English law}}
[[File:The Old Court House Ruthin Wales.jpg|thumb|The Old Court House, [[Ruthin]], Denbighshire, built 1401, following [[Owain Glyndŵr]]'s attack on the town|alt=A half timbered building of two floors, with four sets of leaded windows to the front aspect and one set to the side. The build has a steep, slate roof, with a single chimney placed left of centre. Steps and a ramp lead up to its single visible entrance]]
[[File:Laws of Hywel Dda (f.4.r) Judge cropped.jpg|thumb|Illustration of a Welsh judge from the ''[[Laws of Hywel Dda]]'']]By tradition, Welsh Law was compiled during an assembly held at [[Whitland]] around 930 by [[Hywel Dda]], king of most of Wales between 942 and his death in 950. The '[[Cyfraith Hywel|law of Hywel Dda]]' ({{langx|cy|Cyfraith Hywel}}), as it became known, codified the previously existing [[Celtic Law|folk laws and legal customs]] that had evolved in Wales over centuries. Welsh Law emphasised the payment of compensation for a crime to the victim, or the victim's kin, rather than punishment by the ruler.<ref>{{cite web |title=History and Development of the Welsh Language in the Courts |url=http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/12003.htm#1 |access-date=7 October 2010 |publisher=[[Her Majesty's Courts Service]] |date=11 June 2007 |website=[[Her Majesty's Courts Service]] website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606124550/http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/12003.htm#1 |archive-date=6 June 2011 }}; Davies (2008) p. 450; Davies (1994) p. 86</ref> Other than in the [[Welsh Marches|Marches]], where [[March law]] was imposed by the Marcher Lords, Welsh Law remained in force in Wales until the [[Statute of Rhuddlan]] in 1284. [[Edward I of England]] annexed the [[Principality of Wales]] following the death of [[Llywelyn ap Gruffudd]], and Welsh Law was replaced for criminal cases under the Statute. Marcher Law and Welsh Law (for civil cases) remained in force until [[Henry VIII of England]] annexed the whole of Wales under the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542]] (often referred to as the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543), after which English law applied to the whole of Wales.<ref name="HMCS">{{cite web |title=History and Development of the Welsh Language in the Courts |url=http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/12003.htm#1 |access-date=7 October 2010 |publisher=[[Her Majesty's Courts Service]] |date=11 June 2007 |website=[[Her Majesty's Courts Service]] website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606124550/http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/12003.htm#1 |archive-date=6 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>Davies (1994) p. 225</ref> The [[Wales and Berwick Act 1746]] provided that all laws that applied to England would automatically apply to Wales (and the Anglo-Scottish border town of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick]]) unless the law explicitly stated otherwise; this Act was repealed with regard to Wales in 1967. English law has been the legal system of [[England and Wales]] since 1536.<ref name="Wales Hist 263">Davies (1994) p. 263</ref>

English law is regarded as a [[common law]] system, with no major [[Codification (law)|codification]] of the law and legal [[precedent]]s are binding as opposed to persuasive. The court system is headed by the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]] which is the highest court of appeal in the land for criminal and civil cases. The [[Senior Courts of England and Wales]] is the highest [[Trial court|court of first instance]] as well as an [[appellate court]]. The three divisions are the [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales|Court of Appeal]], the [[High Court of Justice of England and Wales|High Court of Justice]], and the [[Crown Court]]. Minor cases are heard by [[magistrates' court (England and Wales)|magistrates' court]]s or the [[County Court]]. In 2007 the Wales and Cheshire Region (known as the Wales and Cheshire Circuit before 2005) came to an end when Cheshire was attached to the North-Western England Region. From that point, Wales became a legal unit in its own right, although it remains part of the single [[jurisdiction]] of [[England and Wales]].<ref>Davies (2008) p. 453</ref>

The [[Senedd]] has the authority to draft and approve laws outside of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliamentary]] system to meet the specific needs of Wales. Under powers approved by a [[2011 Welsh devolution referendum|referendum]] held in March 2011, it is empowered to pass primary legislation, at the time referred to as an Act of the National Assembly for Wales but now known as an [[Act of Senedd Cymru]] in relation to twenty subjects listed in the [[Government of Wales Act 2006]] such as health and education. Through this primary legislation, the [[Welsh Government]] can then also enact more specific [[secondary legislation|subordinate legislation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Subordinate legislation |url=https://law.gov.wales/constitution-government/how-welsh-laws-made/subordinate-legislation/?lang=en#/constitution-government/how-welsh-laws-made/subordinate-legislation |website=law.gov.wales |publisher=Welsh Government |access-date=16 July 2020 |date=13 February 2015 |archive-date=19 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619065644/https://law.gov.wales/constitution-government/how-welsh-laws-made/subordinate-legislation/?lang=en#/constitution-government/how-welsh-laws-made/subordinate-legislation |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Wales is served by four regional police forces: [[Dyfed-Powys Police]], [[Gwent Police]], [[North Wales Police]], and [[South Wales Police]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Two of the four Welsh police forces 'require improvement' in the way they prevent and investigate crime|url=http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2016-02-18/two-of-the-four-welsh-police-forces-require-improvement-in-the-way-they-prevent-and-investigate-crime/|work=ITV News|date=18 February 2016|access-date=29 February 2016}}</ref> There are five [[prisons in Wales]]: four in the southern half of the country, and [[HM Prison Berwyn|one]] in [[Wrexham Industrial Estate|Wrexham]]. Wales has no women's prisons: female inmates are imprisoned in England.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/8545805.stm|title=MPs urge UK government to build north Wales prison|work=BBC News|date=3 March 2010|access-date=31 December 2010}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/femaleprisoners/|title=Female Prisoners|website=hmprisonservice.gov.uk|author=HM Prison Service|date=21 September 2000|access-date=31 December 2010|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110206184958/http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/femaleprisoners/|archive-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>