Representing Wales and its people

The Assembly is made up of 60 elected Assembly Members, who represent a specific area of Wales as a member of a political party (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Plaid Cymru) or as an independent member (not a member of the four main political parties).

The Welsh government is formed following an Assembly election, and is composed of up to 14 Assembly Members,.

Assembly Members meet every week when the Assembly is in session, to discuss issues of importance to Wales and its people; they pose questions to Welsh government ministers, carry out debates on government policies and committee reports and examine Welsh laws.

These weekly meetings of all 60 Members are referred to as Plenary meetings, and take place in the Siambr, the Senedd’s debating chamber, on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons between 1.30 and 6.30pm. They are chaired by the Presiding Officer, The Rt Hon the Lord Elis-Thomas AM.

Anyone can watch these debates from our public gallery in the Senedd, or on the Senedd TV website.