Devolution Flashcards
since 1998 powers have been devolved from …. to ….
the centre of Westminster
to the constituent parts of the UK
When was the Scottish parliament established
1999
how many elected members does Scotland have?
129
what does Scotland exclude
defence and international affairs
• Following Scottish Referendum in 2014 the Scottish Parliament was given powers to…
raise taxes
• In December 2017 the Scottish government announced new income tax rates that are
different to the rest of the UK for the first time
when did the welsh assembly establish?
1999
How many elected members does the wales have?
60
What does wales do?
• Determines Budget priorities, administers NHS and administers EU funds
does wales have tax raising powers?
no
what does wales exclude?
• Excludes defence, international affairs, raising new taxes
when did the northern irish assembly establish?
1998
how many elected members does northern Ireland have?
90
does northern Ireland have tax raising powers?
no
what does northern Ireland exclude?
• Excludes defence, international affairs, raising new taxes
• Plans for elected regional assemblies in England were dropped…
after voters in the north east rejected the idea in a referendum in 2004
• In 2014 the government proposed the Northern Powerhouse to boost….
boost economic growth in the north of England championed by the Chancellor George Osborne (MP for Tatton in Cheshire)
What was the first area to get extra powers over housing, transport, planning, policing and some health spending?
greater manchester
What Six other regions also have devolution deals and held ‘Metro Mayor’ elections in May 2017?
Liverpool, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire
• Second area marked out for devolution was the Sheffield City Region (SCR) consisting of nine local authority areas…
Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley, Bolsover, Bassetlaw, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales and NE Derbyshire.
what did devolution mean for SCR
- Would get extra powers over transport and strategic planning
- Would get £30m extra a year for 30 years = £900m
• But Derbyshire County Council threw a spanner in the works by winning a legal challenge saying…
the people of Chesterfield had not been properly consulted over the SCR deal
As a result of Derbyshire county council throwing a spanner in the works what happened?
- As a result the Metro Mayor elected scheduled for May 2017 was postponed it finally went ahead May 2018 – Labour’s Dan Jarvis elected major of the Sheffield City Region but he has no money and little power.
- But Chesterfield and Bassetlaw pulled out
In December 2017 what did Barnsley and Doncaster do?
• And in December 2017 Barnsley and Doncaster held mini referenda in which voters overwhelmingly backed the rival One Yorkshire deal over the SCR
What would one Yorkshire include?
• One Yorkshire would include West, East and South Yorkshire and the rural parts of the county
what did the government say about the SCR?
cannot be unpicked and will go ahead
February 2019 Communities Secretary James Brokenshire dealt a blow to One Yorkshire saying it
did not fit in with the government’s devolution criteria.
What is the West Lothian Question?
• The argument that it is unfair for Scottish MPs in Westminster to continue voting on issues that have no bearing on their own country, but which impact on voters England and Wales, while English and Welsh MPs have no say over issues particular to Scotland, which are decided in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies. (E.g. tuition fees and prescription charges)
Who is the Scottish parliament controlled by?
The Scottish national party
What was the results of the Scottish referendum on should Scotland be independent?
• The Result? Yes = 44.7%; No = 55.3%
In the run up to the Scottish referendum what did all 3 party leaders do?
(then Cameron, Miliband and Clegg) signed up for ‘The Vow’ to give Scotland more powers (including over income tax) and retain the Barnett Formula (which gives Scotland £1,600 more per head to spend than England).
What did the conservatives also announce in plans for feb 2015?
for English Votes for English Laws (Evel) which would create a grand committee of English MPs that would have a veto on English-only laws.
• This is opposed by some Conservative MPs who say it doesn’t go far enough and by Labour that says it will create two classes of MPs (and it will make it impossible for Labour to govern in the future).
