Government of Wales Act 1998

12 Disqualification from being Assembly member. U.K.

(1) A person is disqualified from being an Assembly member if—

(a) he is disqualified from being a member of the House of Commons under paragraphs (a) to (e) of section 1(1) of the M1 House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (judges, civil servants, members of the armed forces, members of police forces and members of foreign legislatures),

(b) he holds any of the offices for the time being designated by Order in Council as offices disqualifying persons from being Assembly members,

(c) he holds the office of Auditor General for Wales or the office of Welsh Administration Ombudsman, or

(d) he is disqualified from being a member of a local authority under section 17(2)(b) or 18(7) of the M2 Audit Commission Act 1998 (members of local authorities who are responsible for incurring or authorising unlawful expenditure or whose wilful misconduct has caused a loss or deficiency).

(2) Subject to section 13(1) and (2), a person is also disqualified from being an Assembly member if he is disqualified otherwise than under the M3 House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (either generally or in relation to a particular constituency) from being a member of the House of Commons or from sitting and voting in it.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) the references to the Republic of Ireland in section 1 of the Representation of the M4 People Act 1981 (disqualification of offenders detained in, or unlawfully at large from detention in, the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland) shall be treated as references to any member State (other than the United Kingdom).

(4) A person who holds office as lord-lieutenant, lieutenant or high sheriff of any area in Wales is disqualified from being an Assembly member for any Assembly constituency or Assembly electoral region wholly or partly included in that area.

(5) An Order in Council under paragraph (b) of subsection (1) may designate particular offices or offices of any description and may designate an office by reference to any characteristic of a person holding it; and in that paragraph and this subsection “office” includes any post or employment.

(6) No recommendation shall be made to Her Majesty in Council to make an Order in Council under subsection (1)(b) unless a draft of the statutory instrument containing the Order in Council has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

(7) But subsection (6) does not apply in the case of an Order in Council varying or revoking a previous Order in Council if the Assembly has resolved that the Secretary of State be requested to recommend the making of the Order in Council.

Marginal Citations

M1 1975 c. 24.

M2 1998 c. 18.

M3 1975 c. 24.

M4 1981 c. 34.