On 31st January 2017, the Wales Bill was given Royal Assent and became the Wales Act 2017.
The Act amends the Government of Wales Act 2006 to give the National Assembly for Wales the power to legislate on any subject except those reserved to the UK Parliament. The idea is that this should lead to a clearer separation of powers between devolved matters and those that are reserved to the UK Parliament. The Act includes a recognition of the “Sewel Convention” which states that the UK Parliament will not normally legislate in devolved areas without the consent of the Assembly, and gives responsibility to the Assembly to run its own affairs.
Notably, the Act devolves: powers relating to the licensing of onshore oil and gas extraction; powers relating to elections to the Assembly, to Welsh Ministers; and responsibility to the Assembly for road transport.
The passing of the Act has, understandably, caused a lot of debate, with critics feeling that it has failed to live up to expectations.