The Welsh assembly has backed the holding of a referendum to increase Welsh self-government. The result of the referendum would grant Cardiff the power to legislate on more areas, even without the explicit permission of Westminster. 53 out of 60 members of the assembly voted for the referendum, which would put Wales on an equal footing with Scotland in the devolution process.

In accordance with the result of the voting in parliament, first minister Carwyn Jones will have to pass on the petition to Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain, the person in charge of drafting a proposal which would be put to the vote in the Welsh and British parliaments.

It is a milestone in the history of Welsh self-government, which started with the setting up of a Welsh legislative assembly with limited powers in 1999, a result of the commitment of the coalition government between the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru.

The date of the referendum had to be ignored in the voting, as Labour and Plaid Cymru's wishes to hold the referendum on the current term clash with the only condition Tories and LibDems have made to back the motion, that is to say: it should not coincide with Welsh elections.

Further information:

• BBC: AMs vote in favour of Welsh assembly powers referendum, Peter Hain tells of 'shortcomings' in power transfer.
• WalesOnline: Assembly votes to request further law-making powers

See the Wales profile and the dossier Peoples and nations today: Wales.