Richard Commission (Wales)

The Richard Commission was established in 2002 at a critical juncture in Welsh history. Just three years after the National Assembly for Wales opened its doors in 1999, it became apparent to many—including the then-First Minister Rhodri Morgan—that the initial "devolution settlement" was clunky and insufficient. Unlike the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly initially lacked the power to make its own primary laws (Acts of Parliament); instead, it could only pass secondary legislation (Orders) within frameworks set by Westminster.

Lord Ivor Richard, a former UK Ambassador to the UN and Leader of the House of Lords, was tasked with leading a cross-party commission to solve this "identity crisis." The commission’s mandate was twofold: to examine the depth and breadth of the Assembly’s powers, and to review the electoral system used to select its members.

Over 20 months, the Commission held 115 evidence sessions and reviewed over 300 written submissions. The resulting 300-page report, published in March 2004, was revolutionary. It concluded that the "corporate body" model—where the civil service and the politicians were legally the same entity—was a failure. It argued that the Assembly should be split into a separate Legislature (to make laws) and Executive (the government).

Crucially, the report recommended that Wales be granted primary law-making powers by 2011 and that the number of Assembly Members (AMs) be increased from 60 to 80 to handle the increased workload. It also waded into the electoral debate, suggesting the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system to ensure more proportional representation. While the UK Labour government at the time was initially hesitant to adopt the findings, the report became the "blueprint" for the Government of Wales Act 2006, which eventually gave Wales the law-making powers it has today. It is widely regarded as the document that transformed the Assembly into what is now the Senedd.