separation of powers
The first Government of Wales Act 1998 established the National Assembly for Wales, it was given the benefit of both executive functions alongside secondary legislative powers, as a single corporate body.
All the powers and functions were transferred to the Assembly as a whole and included the majority of the functions of the Welsh Office and the powers and budget of the Secretary of State for Wales.
The fact that there was no separation of the legislative and executive functions proved to be administratively unwieldy and eventually as a practical working remedy the Welsh Assembly Government was created as an administrative arrangement but without legal force. The second Government of Wales Act now therefore regularises the position by providing for formal legal separation from the 3rd May 2007.
The National Assembly for Wales has now become an entirely distinct body from the Welsh Assembly Government. The Ministers of the Welsh Assembly Government have gained a new importance in the light of their status as "Welsh Ministers" and the fact that WAG itself becomes similar to a Whitehall government department.
