- The Assembly now has the power to pass Assembly Bills which
become law upon Her Majesty giving Royal Assent. Within its
powers the Assembly may, by Act, do anything that an Act of the
UK Parliament could do. Because England and Wales is a single
legal jurisdiction the laws made by the Assembly or by the UK
Parliament still form part of the law of England and Wales, even
if they are only intended to apply in Wales. The position, in
this respect, is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland
because each of them is a separate legal jurisdiction.
Therefore, for example, Acts of the Scottish Parliament only
extend to Scotland and do not form part of the law of any other
territory within the UK. In March 2011, the people of Wales
voted “yes” in a referendum on giving the National Assembly for
Wales primary law making powers in twenty devolved policy areas.
Laws made in Wales, for Wales, still form part of the law of
England and Wales. This is not the case in Scotland and Northern
Ireland who have separate legal