CON: The role and powers of devolved bodies in the UK, and the impact of this devolution on the UK. Flashcards
what is devolution
delegating power but not sovereingty from the uk parl to specific regions in the country
its a transfer of power without eroding the sov of parl
quasi-federal
its very unlikely for power to be returned to westminster, but it can be returned after its been devolved
how can power be returned
through a constitutional statute - powers are semi-entrenched
in federalism in the us the power is distributed and cannot be returned
what are the three types of devolution
legislative powers - the devolved assemblies can make laws for their area
administrative powers - their power to implement laws and organise state services
financial power - funds available to them by westminster so they can provide services eg scotland have devo max
asymetrical devolution
different regions have been granted different amounts of power eg the scottish gov have more power than wales and NI
asymmetrical devolution
different regions have been granted different amounts of power eg the scottish gov have more power than wales and NI
the beginning of devolution
first calls emerged in the 1970s. the labour gov were greatly under the influence of the liberal party because labour only had a small majority and relied on their support.
the liberal party believed that devolution would enhance democracy in the uk and bring the gov closer to the people
devolution was forgotten again until the late 90s when there were signs of growing nationalism in Scotland and wales. Labour was elected with a huge mandate to reform the uk constitution with devolution at the heart.
devolution in england at the start
during when wales, scotland and NI were having devolution implemented, the deputy pm at the time John Prescott thought to devolve similar amount of power to english regions (administrative not financial and legislative)
they tested public opinion by holding a referendum in the north east region in 2004 and the result was rejected by 78% to 22% - it was quickly abandoned!!!
recent devolution in england
devolution to cities. (not strictly devolution) by decentralisation
eg George Osborne was committed to granting more power to large cities; he spoke of the ‘NOTHERN POWERHOUSE’ to invest in transport links and technology
- so in 2015 he announced that all local authorities could keep all the revenue from business rates rather than giving it to the central exchequer
this gave them a lot of financial independence to spend on projects of their choice
english votes for english laws
EVEL
2015 - scottish mps in the HOC were allowed to vote on issues that only affected England eg health, criminal law and education. The WEST LOTHIAN QUESTION was raised as to why scottish mps could vote on english matters but english mps couldn’t vote on scottish matters?
This meant that the speaker would declare that a vote was to take place about an english issue and scottish mps couldn’t take part - creates two teirs of MPs
HOWEVER… a bill still has to pass the whole house at a third reading… so it isn’t really english votes for english laws
more radical proposal - a completely separate english parliament which would meet seperatly and perhaps be elected separately. it would resolve ‘all england-only issues’…. not well supported BUT this would be full english devolution
scottish devolution - the beginning
since the 19th century there had been administrative powers devolved which meant that a non-elective scottish exec could perfrom on behalf of the uk parl
also had its own laws!!
however there had been no scottish parliament to pass these laws since 1707 and it was parliament in westminster that was passing scottish laws…
devolution was a more urgent matter in scotland than it was in NI and wales because of the rising nationalist view
the scotland act 1998
1997 - a referendum to gauge support for devolution: were in favour 74%- 26%.
1998 - the Scotland act was passed granting devolution
1999 - the first scottish parliament was elected
what were the main powers devolved to the new scottish parliament
- power over health service: free prescriptions
- power over education: free uni tuition fees
- power over policing
what else was new in scotland after the new parliament
new electoral system - additional members system
Scotland act 2016
nationalism continued to grow - a referendum in 2014 was held (despite voting against it no 55.3% and yes 44.7%)
people still wanted more devolution
the scotland act 2016 which gave powers such as:
- controlling the welfare services including housing
- widening of the areas in which the scottish parl may pass laws
welsh devolution referendum
1997 devolution referendum - majority was only 50.5% with a 50% turnout, so actually only 1/4 of welsh people wanted more devolution
therefore less powers were devolved to wales than to scotland
what act set up the welsh national assembly
the government of wales act 1998
the assembly had no powers to make or pass laws and they had no financial control - it was purely administrative
- the welsh gov runs several services such as education and health BUT cannot pass any laws regarding those services
- however… it can decide how to allocate the funds it receives from central gov (this is an annual grant)
what act gave wales further devolution
the government of wales act 2014
nationalist feelings DIDN’T grow in wales after the first act of devolution but demands did begin to grow after 2010
- this is because the lib dems supported further decentralisation of power
- they also didn’t want Scotland and wales to be too different
the act included:
- the welsh gov granted control over various taxes eg landfill tax
financial devolution to wales
2015 the gov announced that the welsh gov could take over some income tax, up tp £3 billion a year without the approval of a referendum
welsh govs in the future will enjoy more financial as well as administrative powers
why is devolution to northern ireland different to scotland and wales
the devolution settlement was part of the wider resolution of 30 years of conflict betwen the republican and loyalist communities.
london devolution
london has the greatest amount of devolution and a direcently elected mayor and directly elected chamber of 25 members in the London assembly
the mayor is a significant figure and has power over policing, transport and economis development
london mayor triumphs and failures
SADIQ KAHN - labour
+ environment: ULEZ (ultra low emission zone) in 2019 which forces drivers with polluting vehicles to pay a daily fee of £12.50
- crime: knife crime is higher than it was when boris was mayor and Kahn blames it on the governments policing cuts
what is the barnett formula
the way of adjusting the finance made available to devolved govs
devolution has been a success
- the uk is still together
- the peace has largely been held in NI
- there remains widespread public support in all three countries for devolution and no serious proposals have been made to reverse it
devolution has NOT been a success
- scottish nationalism is endangering the uk: the gender recognition bill being rejected
- low turnout in devolved assemblies which suggests political apathy (low interest in politics)
what is the good friday agreement 1998
restored the powers in NI, after parliament was dissolved in 1972. Instead of a parliament, as assembly was to be elected using proportional representation.
the NI executive was based on power sharing - meant that all major parties are guaranteed ministerial places: DUP and Sinn fein
what were the powers devolved to NI after 1998
- education
transport
healthcare
when was NI devolution suspended and why
the break down of the northern irish peace process in 2002 lead to the northern irish assembly being suspended.
there were riots, bombings and protests occuring and it was impossible for the assembly to continue to take on the governing powers
power is resrtored back to NI in 2007
