Devolution

Question 1

What is the simple definition for devolution?

Answer 1

The transfer of powers from a superior body to an inferior one

Question 2

List the three types of devolution:

Answer 2

Legislative Powers
Administrative powers
Financial powers

Question 3

What are legislative powers?

Answer 3

Can make laws in their territories

Question 4

What are administrative powers?

Answer 4

Powers given to the devolved bodies who can implement laws and services.

Question 5

What are financial powers?

Answer 5

Devolved governments have money granted to them BUT giving tax raising powers allows the raising of extra funds.

Question 6

Why was Devolution introduced? Give the 3 points simply-put:

Answer 6

1) End the “Democratic Deficit”
2) Avoid Break Up of the UK
3) Peace in Northern Ireland

Question 7

Why Devolution? (End the Democratic Deficit):
4 c___________ Conservative victories - when Wales and Scotland had voted overwhelmingly for L_____.
A general feeling in Wales and Scotland that they had to be… 1) insulated from future conservative governments, 2) no longer treated like “Colonies”

Answer 7

consecutive
Labour

Question 8

Why Devolution? Avoid the break up of the UK:
Pressure for de-centralisation had reached a stage where it could not be i________ without actually leading to the break up of the UK.
- The SNP’s % of the vote was r_____.
- An attempt to head off any EVENTUAL threat of independence with ___________

Answer 8

ignored
rising
devolution

Question 9

Why Devolution? Peace in Northern Ireland:
Power sharing via a coalition was a p_______ of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.

Answer 9

priority

Question 10

Devolution is a ________, not an ______.

Answer 10

process
event

Question 11

Law Making Powers in Scotland?

Answer 11

Large range of primary and secondary law making powers

Question 12

Tax raising powers in Scotland?

Answer 12

Full tax raising powers

Question 13

Law Making Powers in Wales?

Answer 13

Smaller range of primary and secondary law making powers

Question 14

Tax raising powers in Wales?

Answer 14

Can raise income tax… the ability to raise or lower income tax by up to 10p in the pound.

Question 15

Law making powers in Northern Ireland?

Answer 15

Limited law making powers

Question 16

Tax raising powers in Northern Ireland?

Answer 16

Limited tax raising powers but can adjust Corporation tax

Question 17

In BOTH Scotland and Wales… Devolution has gradually e________ (at different rates).
Powers from both bodies have _____ since 1998.

Answer 17

expanded
grown

Question 18

Why was Scotland a “special case” and different from Wales and Northern Ireland even in 1997?

Answer 18

Already had a political identity.

Question 19

Why was the Scottish Parliament more powerful than the Welsh Assembly in 1998?

Answer 19

1997 -> Scotland referendum held to gauge support for devolution. Result was overwhelmingly in favour. The Scotland Act, granting this, was passed in 1998. Implemented in 1999, the first Scottish Parliament was elected.

Also, A new electoral system was introduced for the Scottish Parliament.

Question 20

Why was the Scotland Act 2016 and “DEVO-MAX” such a significant step?

Answer 20

Semi-entrenched it and there was a further transition of power.

Question 21

Why were less powers given to Wales than Scotland in 1998?

Answer 21

The Welsh devolution referendum (1997) was close-run.
The majority was only 50.5-49.5 on a low turnout of around 50%, so only a quarter of the Welsh electorate actually voted in favour of devolution.

Question 22

What is meant by saying that powers given to Wales in 1998 were only administrative?

Answer 22

The powers given were only to allow them to implement laws and services.

Question 23

What was the motivation of giving increased powers given to Wales in 2014?

Answer 23

Nationalist sentiment didn’t grow in Wales after the first stage of devolution. But, demands for further devolution began to grow after 2010.
Lib Dems also helped the process as they were part of the 2010 coalition govt. and supported further decentralisation of power.
There was also fear that if new powers were devolved to Scotland, the Welsh and Scottish govt. power difference would be too wide.

Question 24

Wales Act 1998? Give 2 areas

Answer 24

Health, education, local authority services, public transport, agriculture

Question 25

Wales Act 2014? Give 2 ideas.

Answer 25

Referendum to decide of Welsh govt. should have partial control over income tax.
Welsh govt. granted control over various taxes.
Welsh govt. would have limited powers to borrow money on open markets to enable it to invest in major projects and housing.

Question 26

Wales Act 2017? Give 1 idea

Answer 26

The ability to amend sections of the govt. of Wales Act 2001.
Subject to a 2/3 majority within the Assembly.
May 2024 - Senedd votes to in trade from 60 to 96 members.
The ability to use such amendment to devolve powers to the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh ministers over areas such as road signs.

Question 27

Policy Divergence:
The introduction of policies differing from England are POSITIVE in terms of ___________ responding to the demands of the electorate.
Rights in a _______ state are supposed to be the same everywhere… However, if certain regions have more or better rights in certain areas then resentment can occur!
Differences can be regarded as undermining the Unitary State.

Answer 27

DEMOCRACY
Unitary

Question 28

Give an example of policy divergence:

Answer 28

1) Scotland (no tuition fees), Wales (grant for tuition fees), NI (Lower tuition fees for NI universities)
2) Scotland (COVID-19 regulation), Wales (COVID-19 early, tougher lockdown), NI (COVID-19 lockdown imposed end of Nov 2020)

Question 29

Questions of funding:
The majority of funding for the Scottish Parliament and nearly all of Welsh Assembly comes from ___________.
The devolved bodies pay ______ to Westminster but then receive all allocated money back.
The amount of grant given is determined by the _______ Formula. This has ensured that per capita block expenditure has been higher in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales than England.
The combination of devolution and higher _______ _________ in the Celtic periphery led to some calls for the formula to be scrapped. Those such as the English democrats believe that the English taxpayer is __________ the periphery.
However, Cameron insisted that it should remain.

Answer 29

Westminster
taxes
Barnett
public spending
subsiding

Question 30

What does Quasi-Federal mean?

Answer 30

Quasi - almost, not quite but on-route.
Federal - divided in 2 but equal power.

Question 31

Although Westminster has LEGAL Sovereignty, it no longer has full ________ Sovereignty! (Difference between de ____ and de ______)

Answer 31

Political
de jure
de facto

Question 32

EVEL was brought about to address the W-L question, in which…

Answer 32

English MPs couldn’t vote on matters devolved to other parts of the UK but Scottish, Welsh, and NI MPs could vote in Westminster on England-only matters.

Question 33

EVEL became a _________ that Celtic MPs would abstain on votes affecting only England.

Answer 33

convention

Question 34

What is one point against EVEL?

Answer 34

Complex to administer
Undermines authority and sovereignty of Westminster Parliament.
Only devolution offered to England in the ‘lop-sided’ post-devolution era.
Some issues come across boundaries, so it’s hard to separate.

Question 35

Case against Quasi-Federalism?

Answer 35

Westminster has re-asserted supremacy ->
- Westminster used the “nuclear option” of section 35 of Scotland Act to block the SNO Trans Bill.
- THE NI Assembly has been suspended several times
- The Supreme Court announced that a second Scottish Independence referendum cannot take place without Westminster’s approval.

Question 36

Case for Quasi-Federalism?

Answer 36

• Politically and in practise, it is not possible for Westminster to overrule or abolish devolved bodies despite being sovereign.
• Westminster operates as an English Parliament but operates as a Federal Parliament for the Celtic Periphery.
• Devolution is protected by conventions (eg. Sewel convention recognises that the UK shall not normally legislate with respect to devolved matters without consent of the Scottish Parliament)
• Parliament sovereignty is constrained as devolution is effectively semi-entrenched and can only really be reversed via a referendum.
• Backed by law: 2016 amendment to the 1998 Scotland Act establishes that the Scottish Parliament and government are a permanent part of the UK constitutional arrangement.

Question 37

Possible break up of UK?
Labour wanted a devolution to gain _________ and head off the SNP.
This didn’t work. The SNP wanted devolution as a ___________ stone to independence, and it became the largest party in Scotland.

The comment that devolution was a mistake by BJ may have stoked the fire of discontent further.
Westminster used section 35 of Scotland Act to block the SNP Trans Bill.
The Supreme Court concluding a second Scottish Indy referendum cannot take place without Westminster’s approval.

Answer 37

popularity
stepping

Question 38

There is debate over if England should have some d_________. The English Democrats believe that England should now have its own ____________.
However, there is a lack of public ________ for devolution (2005 NE England referendum).

Answer 38

devolution
Parliament
support

Question 39

Give 2 cases FOR English Devolution:

Answer 39

Extend Democracy bringing Govt closer
Improve local participation
Better policies for regional issues

Question 40

Give 2 cases AGAINST English devolution:

Answer 40

Expensive layer of government and bureaucracy
Limited demand - NB 2005 NE Referendum.
Could create more disunity widening UK differences