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Politics Paper 2 > 1.3 The role and power of devolved bodies > Flashcards

1.3 The role and power of devolved bodies Flashcards

1
Q

6

Describe the features of UK devolution

A
  • entrenched via referendums
  • Each of devolved national administrations have elected assembly and executive, drawn from assembly
  • ‘sharing powers’ - reserved and devolved matters
  • powers, but not sovereignty, transferred to devolved bodies
  • ‘Barnett formula’
  • asymmetric e.g. Scot has control over VAT revenue, but not Wal and NI
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2
Q

2

Describe the funding of devolved bodies

A
  • Funding for devolved services initially solely came from central govt, but have increasingly gained control over income tax altering its revenues
  • Size of devolution grants calculated using Barnett Formula in Treasury - higher public expenditure in devolved nations as they have greater needs than England
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3
Q

5

Describe the key features of Scottish devolution

A
  • 129-member parliament elected by AMS
  • holds primary legislative powers
  • most powerful devolved body (due to high nationalism in Scotland)
  • subnational party dominates in GEs in Scotland
  • Permanent feature of UK constitution - implies enjoys more power than mere devolution
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4
Q

9 - don’t need all

List examples of devolved powers in Scotland

A
  • local govt
  • housing
  • police
  • elections
  • education
  • health e.g. COVID
  • tax-varying powers (initially set at 3p, expanded to 10p in 2012)
  • abortion laws, speed limit, air passenger duty; from 2016
  • has control over VAT revenue, unlike Wales and NI
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5
Q

3

Describe reserved/excepted matters

A
  • matters where UK Parliament holds exclusive power to legislate
  • inlcudes FP + immigration
  • UK Govt vetoed Gender Recognition BIll 2022 arguing that it was incompatible with Equality Act 2010
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6
Q

2

Describe the constitutional impact of Scottish devolution

A
  • SNP rise in support - 69/129 MSPs (2011), carried over to GE with 56/59 MPs (2015)
  • Greater demands for independence
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7
Q

6

List policy examples of Scottish Exec/Parliament

A
  • First place in UK to introduce smoking ban in 2006 - policy experiment
  • offers free uni education to Scottish residents
  • voting age reduced to 16 in local/devolved elecs + referendums
  • medical prescriptions free from 2011
  • Scotland had 4 levels in COVID response, England had 5
  • introduced increased alcohol price of 50p (now 65p) per unit in 2018 to discourage excessive drinking after 2016 NHS survey found sales per adult were 17% higher than in England/Wales - region sensitive
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8
Q

3

Describe the key features of Welsh devolution

A
  • Less powerful than Scotland (indepdence support has rarely polled above 10%)
  • 60-member Parliament elected via AMS
  • holds primary legislative power (from 2011)
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9
Q

5

Describe the change over time in the devolved powers/constitutional status of Wales

A
  • Government of Wales Act 2006 - separated exec from legislature
  • 2011 Welsh Devolution Referendum - voted in favour of granting primary legislative powers on all devolved matters
  • Wales Act 2014 - devolved greater tax powers (e.g. stamp duty)
  • Wales Act 2017 - tax-varying powers and held permament status in UK
  • Changed name from ‘assembly to ‘parliament’ in 2020
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10
Q

4

List policy examples in devolved Wales

A
  • Wales first part of UK to introduce single-use plastics in 2011
  • Declared climate emergency in 2019
  • 2021, announced targeted green investment of £1.8bn over 3 year period
  • 20mph roads
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11
Q

5

Describe key features of Northern Ireland devolution

A
  • Power-sharing executive to maintain peace
  • 71% yes vote in 1998 GFA referendum
  • 90-member assembly
  • Regularly suspended - direct rule from Westminster
  • Subnational parties exclusively hold seats in GEs in NI
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12
Q

4

Describe the problems of the NI Assembly/Executive

A
  • Assembly/Executive suspended from 2002-2007 after police raided SF offices
  • Assembly suspended from 2017-20 as Martin McGuinness resigned over Foster refusal to apologise after Cash for Ash Scandal; forced Foster to resign
  • Brexit caused constitutional problems as withdrawal agreement has led to customs checks on some items moving between GB and NI
  • No executive/assembly 2022-24 as DUP refuse to form govt
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13
Q

1

Describe the powers of the devolved NI assembly/executive

A

Primary legislative powers in education, housing, policing, etc

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14
Q

2

List policy examples of devolved NI

A
  • Human Trafficking Act (2015) - designed to prevent human trafficking to NI and provide support for victims
  • Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (2016) - provides legal definition of bullying and requires schools to provide policies against it
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15
Q

4

Describe the ‘Chuckle Brothers’

A
  • Ian Paisley, DUP First Minister
  • Martin McGuinness, SF Deputy First Minister
  • Close relationship after years of violent hostility
  • Demonstrates effectiveness of NI devolution
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16
Q

5

Describe the features of English devolution

A
  • No English Parliament (82% of Westminster seats are in England)
  • EVEL 2015-21
  • Introduction of directly-elected mayors beyond London from 2017
  • Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2012 - allowed for police commissioners
  • Asymmetric - London mayor responsible for police, Tees Valley has separate PC&C
17
Q

3

List the positives of directly-elected mayors

A
  • Greater accountability and transparency in local-decision making
  • More opportunities to exercise democracy
  • Region-senstive policies
18
Q

2

Describe Andy Burnham background

A
  • Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017-
  • Prominent figure - former cabinet minister
19
Q

4

Describe the powers of the GM Mayor

A
  • Roles of PC&C Commissioner subsumed into Mayoral role
  • Transport
  • Controls £6bn health and social care budget
  • Adult skills (introduced later)
20
Q

3

Describe the policies of Andy Burnham

A
  • ‘King of North’ for winning £65m in business support after Tier 3 restricitons imposed on GM after £22m proposed
  • Capped adult bus fares at £2 in 2022
  • Bus public ownership plan by 2025 (challlenged by rotala and stagecoach but mayor won)
21
Q

6

Describe Ben Houchen

A
  • Conservative Tees Valley mayor since 2017
  • Renationalised Teeside airport
  • Accusations of corruption at Teesworks freeport
  • Won 39.5% in 1st round vote in 2017, won 73% in 2021
  • Turnout increased from 21% (2017) to 34% (2021)
  • Member of HoL
22
Q

4

Describe limits to directly-elected mayors (metro mayors)

A
  • asymmetric - London mayor has powers over planning, NE will not
  • Failed to reinvogorate democratic participation - Andy Street re-elected mayor of West Midlands in 2021 on 31% turnout
  • Failure of referendums
  • In 2022 Bristol voted to abolish position of elected mayor by 59% to 41% (on turnout of just 29%)
23
Q

3

Describe the failures of referendums with respect to directly-elected mayors

A
  • Localism Act 2011 meant to allow local govts to hold refs on elected mayors
  • Yet by 2022, 37/54 proposals had been rejected
  • Now imposed by govt due to levelling up programme e.g. North East Devolution Deal
24
Q

4 - (1) (0) (0) (2)

Describe the successes of devolution

see 5.2 cards

A

Very similar to cards on 5.2

  • met demands for devolution evidenced in referenda
    • esp after centralisation/failures of Con rule
  • success evidenced by granting of further devolution
  • metro mayors address asymettry and have been mostly popular
  • devolution has maintained unity of UK
    • recognised rights of other nations while maintaining unitary constitution + ‘devo max’ arg prevented ‘yes’ vote
    • Welsh independence support remains low
25
Q

5 - (1) (0) (0) (3) (1)

Describe the failures of devolution

see 5.2 cards

A

Very similar to cards on 5.2

  • Failures of EVEL and metro mayors
    • failed to meet democratic deficit with low turnouts
  • NI Exec/Assembly regularly suspended
  • turnouts lower than in GEs
  • devolution is stepping stone to independence
    • conflict over devolved matters exacerbated by Brexit
    • Constiutional conflicts e.g. Gender Recognition Bill 2022
    • fuelled nationalist support
  • Disparities in response to importance issues e.g. COVID level-system

Politics Paper 2 (22 decks)

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