WELSH Secretary Cheryl Gillan last night announced the proposed question in the referendum on the Assembly’s powers – provoking the ire of the Assembly Government who want the ballot paper worded differently.

The poll is due to be held in March, and the question will now be subject to a 10-week consultation process run by the Electoral Commission.

After a pre-amble explaining the context, Ms Gillan wants voters to be asked: “Do you agree that the Assembly should now have powers to pass laws on all subjects in the devolved areas without needing the agreement of Parliament first?”

The wording differs from that put forward by First Minister Carwyn Jones in May, most notably in the reference to the UK Parliament.

Crucially, Ms Gillan’s preferred preamble explains the consequences of a “yes” and a “no” vote, something left out of Mr Jones’ version.

The Assembly Government is to submit a fresh proposal to the Electoral Commission, it emerged last night.

A spokesman for WAG said: “We are disappointed that we could not agree a question with the Wales Office.

“We feel the suggestion put forward today by the Secretary of State is deficient and does not accurately reflect the issue that voters will be asked to decide.

“We will therefore be submitting an amended, shortened version to the Electoral Commission as an alternative proposal.”

The lengthy consultation has been blamed for the decision not to hold the referendum – on whether the Assembly Government should have similar powers to the Scottish Government – in October.

Ms Gillan, who has suggested holding the pollin March instead, has also attacked her predecessor, Labour’s Peter Hain, for failing to do enough pre-election preparatory work to allow for an autumn referendum.

She said yesterday: “The [Wales Office] project board has produced a question and a preceding statement for the referendum on law-making powers for the National Assembly for Wales, and I am sending it...to the Electoral Commission for the 10 weeks that it needs to carry out its work in proving that question.

“In the short time I have been in the office, I think I have achieved more than my predecessor did in the time from February 17, when notice was given to him [by the Assembly] that a referendum was required.”

At Ms Gillan’s first Commons appearance since taking office, she clashed with Mr Hain over referendum timing.

Neath MP Mr Hain said: “Accounts given to the media have traduced the truth... on Monday May 10, in the Wales Office, I specifically asked and received an assurance from senior officials that work I had put intrain months before would have enabled a referendum to be staged this October.

“Whatever she has been saying to the media, she must not mislead [the] House, especially as she will not have seen the official papers detailing my preparations for the referendum.”

But Ms Gillan replied: “I do have access to documents that have indicated to me that no work was done on the question before the General Election.

“If he wishes to have a discussion with me about the matter, he is quite able to do so, but no work was done by the Department.

“The only work carried out was on the order that was to be laid before the House.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Ceredigion Mark Williams said last night: “I have always argued for a referendum as soon as is practically possible, and it is extremely disappointing that Labour’s lack of work on the question has made an autumn referendum impossible.

“I am pleased that action is now being taken and we are moving towards a referendum in March, with the opportunity to have the question resolved before the Assembly elections.”

After the election, First Minister Carwyn Jones suggested a question and preamble which reads: “At the moment the Assembly can make laws about some, but not all, things which only affect people in Wales.

“Parliament has decided that the Assembly should be able to pass its own laws for Wales on all devolved subjects.

“But this can only happen if voters in Wales support this in a referendum.

“The devolved subjects include health and social services, housing, education and local government.

“The laws could not be about social security, defence or foreign affairs.”

Voters would then be asked to tick Yes or No against the question: “Do you want the Assembly to have the power now to pass laws on all the subjects which are devolved to Wales?”

A vote by MPs on the referendum date and the exact wording of the question is scheduled for after the Westminster summer recess.

Ms Gillan has previously been involved in a row over a planned 10-week consultation period about the referendum question.

She previously insisted that the length of the consultation was mandatory.

The Electoral Commission has said there is no mandatory obligation to have a 10-week consultation period but has said it would prefer to conduct a thorough public consultation over that period, including focus group discussions.

The Commission has to write a report on the question’s neutrality and intelligibility.