Welsh Assemby to be renamed Welsh Parliament

The Assembly Commission says it has agreed to rename the National Assembly for Wales as the Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru before the end of this Assembly.

A total of 2,821 from across Wales took part in a name change survey, 61 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Assembly should change its name and that the name that best described the institution’s role and responsibility was: Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru.

Assembly members will now become Welsh Parliament Members, in keeping with the current title of Assembly Members.

The change will be taken forward as part of a wider programme of reforms being considered following the transfer of the relevant powers by the Wales Act 2017.

The Llywydd of the National Assembly for Wales, Elin Jones AM, said:

People of all ages, regions and backgrounds across Wales have taken time to present us with their views and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to share their opinions with us.

The change will I hope play a part in ensuring that more people more fully understand the powers of the Assembly and the role it plays in their lives. Our role today is as a full parliamentary body, with the power to pass laws and agree taxes, and we must continue to work hard to inspire the confidence, trust and pride in the people we serve.

A change of name alone will not do that, but it is part of a wider package of reforms that I believe will play an important role in improving understanding of our national democratic legislature. The Commission intends to publish the legislation to give effect to those reforms next year

Assembly Commissioner with responsibility for budget and governance, Suzy Davies AM said:

We recognise that some people who responded to the consultation were concerned about the potential costs that any name change may cause.

I want to reassure them that we do not intend to rebrand completely or waste resources by rushing to make the change. We will legislate in the near future but, until then, the institution will continue to be known officially by its current statutory name, the National Assembly for Wales, in order to avoid confusion and to minimise cost and disruption.

The summary of consultation responses is available here: assembly.wales/name