The legislative process for Senedd Bills: A step-by-step explainer

28 October 2022

The recent introduction of the Agriculture Bill to the Senedd by the Welsh Government is a landmark moment for Welsh farming. In this article we set out the legislative process involved in the passage of a bill through the Senedd.

What is a Bill?

A Bill is a draft law, and once a Bill has been through all of the relevant stages at the Senedd and given Royal Assent by the Monarch, it becomes a ‘Act of Senedd Cymru’.

Senedd Acts are primary legislation and have the same status as Acts of the UK Parliament. Many Bills will contain provisions allowing regulations (secondary legislation) to follow, typically regulations are made by Ministers with very limited Senedd involvement.

The Senedd is able to pass Acts on any matters which are not reserved to the UK Parliament by the Government of Wales Act 2006. The different stages of the legislative process are set out below.

Stage 1: Consideration of the general principles (Committee and Plenary)

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