The Welsh devolution referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held throughout Wales on 18 September 1997 to determine whether there was support for the creation of a assembly for Wales with devolved powers. Unlike the referendum in Scotland, there was no proposal for the assembly to have tax-varying powers. The referendum was a Labour manifesto commitment and was held in their first term after the 1997 election.

One of the factors that made the referendum controversial was that Wales has a much greater immigrant and transient population than Scotland. A previous referendum on devolution held in 1979 had resulted in a majority against, whereas in Scotland the vote had been in favour. In this referendum, the majority of votes cast were for the yes option which resulted in the formation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

The 1979 referendum had been such a resounding defeat that it killed off any prospects of devolution for Wales for a generation. Although the Welsh Liberal Party and Plaid Cymru became committed to a Welsh parliament (with full law making and tax raising powers) by 1983 it was not until 1992 that a Welsh Assembly with executive powers was put into the Labour Party's manifesto. The Conservative Party in Wales remained almost wholly pro-unionist and anti-devolution. As the Conservative government in Wales became more unpopular the Labour party in Wales shaped its policy of a Welsh Assembly under the guidance of Shadow Welsh Secretary Ron Davies and Welsh Office spokesmen Win Griffith and Rhodri Morgan.

In the United Kingdom, devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

The issue of Irish home rule was the dominant political question of British politics at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Earlier in the 19th century, Irish politicians like Daniel O'Connell had demanded a Repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 and a return to two separate kingdoms and parliaments, united only in the personal union of the king of Great Britain and Ireland. In contrast to this, demands for home rule called for autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, with a subsidiary Irish parliament subject to the authority of the parliament at Westminster. This issue was first introduced by the Irish Parliamentary Party led by Isaac Butt, William Shaw and Charles Stewart Parnell.

David Bevan (born June 24, 1989 in Cork, Republic of Ireland), is a professional footballer currently playing for Sutton Coldfield Town, on loan from Conference North side Hinckley United as a goalkeeper. He began his career with Aston Villa in the Premier League, but left for League One side Walsall without making a first-team appearance at Villa Park. After a single season at Walsall, he dropped to non-league football. Bevan has also represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels.

He joined English football at the start of the 2004–2005 season when he joined Aston Villa's academy from the Irish club College Corinthians. He joined up with Hull City on loan for part of the 2006–07 season, making a few youth team appearances for the club. After returning to Villa, Bevan found first and reserve team chances limited and was sent out on a initial month's loan to Conference North side Tamworth, on 23 September 2008 to gain some experience.

Bevan made his debut for the Lambs on 27 September 2008 in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round tie away at Worcester City, which ended in a 1–0 away win at St. George's Lane. The loan was eventually extended for an extra month. He made twelve first team appearances in all competitions during his loan spell, this included getting a red card in the FA Cup tie with Barrow. His final appearance for Tamworth came in the league in the 1–2 defeat to Alfreton Town at The Lamb Ground on 9 December.

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond ( /ˈsæmənd/; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Gordon. From 1987 to 2010 he served as Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan in the UK House of Commons. Salmond previously held the position of leader of the SNP from September 1990 until he stepped down in September 2000.

Originally from Linlithgow, West Lothian, Salmond is a graduate of the University of St Andrews, where he achieved a Joint Honours MA in Economics and History. After earning his degree he began his career in the Government Economic Service (GES), and later joined the Royal Bank of Scotland as an energy economist where he wrote and broadcast extensively for both domestic and international media outlets.

Following the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, he was elected MSP for Banff and Buchan, thus simultaneously representing the area as both Member of Parliament (MP) and MSP. Salmond resigned as SNP leader in 2000 and did not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament. He did however retain his Westminster seat in the 2001 general election. Salmond was once again elected SNP leader in 2004 and the following year held his Banff and Buchan seat in the 2005 general election. In 2006 he announced his intention to contest the Gordon constituency in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, an election in which Salmond defeated the incumbent MSP and in which nationally, the SNP emerged as the largest single party. Salmond was voted First Minister by the Scottish Parliament on 16 May 2007.

Paul Silk (born Crickhowell, Powys) is a Clerk in the British House of Commons. He was formerly Clerk to the National Assembly for Wales from March 2001 to January 2007, the most senior official of the Assembly, and acted as the principal adviser to the Presiding Officer, responsible for all the services that are delivered to Assembly Members through the Assembly Parliamentary Service. In 2011, he was appointed as chair of the Commission on Devolution in Wales.

Silk was educated at Christ College, Brecon; Brasenose College, Oxford, and the University of Princeton.

House of Commons Clerk for almost 25 years, from 1975-7, 1979–2001 and 2007–2010, clerking at different times three departmental Select Committees, including the Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Committees. He is also a former Clerk of the Welsh Grand Committee. Clerk in charge of the Government of Wales Bill and contributed to drafting the first Standing Orders of the National Assembly. He has also worked as Presidential Adviser in the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, and has participated in a number of programmes for emerging democracies. He has written and lectured on Parliament and the Constitution.