Devolution

Question 1

since 1998 powers have been devolved from …. to ….

Answer 1

the centre of Westminster

to the constituent parts of the UK

Question 2

When was the Scottish parliament established

Answer 2

1999

Question 3

how many elected members does Scotland have?

Answer 3

129

Question 4

what does Scotland exclude

Answer 4

defence and international affairs

Question 5

• Following Scottish Referendum in 2014 the Scottish Parliament was given powers to…

Answer 5

raise taxes

Question 6

• In December 2017 the Scottish government announced new income tax rates that are

Answer 6

different to the rest of the UK for the first time

Question 7

when did the welsh assembly establish?

Answer 7

1999

Question 8

How many elected members does the wales have?

Answer 8

60

Question 9

What does wales do?

Answer 9

• Determines Budget priorities, administers NHS and administers EU funds

Question 10

does wales have tax raising powers?

Answer 10

no

Question 11

what does wales exclude?

Answer 11

• Excludes defence, international affairs, raising new taxes

Question 12

when did the northern irish assembly establish?

Answer 12

1998

Question 13

how many elected members does northern Ireland have?

Answer 13

90

Question 14

does northern Ireland have tax raising powers?

Answer 14

no

Question 15

what does northern Ireland exclude?

Answer 15

• Excludes defence, international affairs, raising new taxes

Question 16

• Plans for elected regional assemblies in England were dropped…

Answer 16

after voters in the north east rejected the idea in a referendum in 2004

Question 17

• In 2014 the government proposed the Northern Powerhouse to boost….

Answer 17

boost economic growth in the north of England championed by the Chancellor George Osborne (MP for Tatton in Cheshire)

Question 18

What was the first area to get extra powers over housing, transport, planning, policing and some health spending?

Answer 18

greater manchester

Question 19

What Six other regions also have devolution deals and held ‘Metro Mayor’ elections in May 2017?

Answer 19

Liverpool, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire

Question 20

• Second area marked out for devolution was the Sheffield City Region (SCR) consisting of nine local authority areas…

Answer 20

Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley, Bolsover, Bassetlaw, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales and NE Derbyshire.

Question 21

what did devolution mean for SCR

Answer 21

• Would get extra powers over transport and strategic planning
• Would get £30m extra a year for 30 years = £900m

Question 22

• But Derbyshire County Council threw a spanner in the works by winning a legal challenge saying…

Answer 22

the people of Chesterfield had not been properly consulted over the SCR deal

Question 23

As a result of Derbyshire county council throwing a spanner in the works what happened?

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

In December 2017 what did Barnsley and Doncaster do?

Answer 24

• And in December 2017 Barnsley and Doncaster held mini referenda in which voters overwhelmingly backed the rival One Yorkshire deal over the SCR

Question 25

What would one Yorkshire include?

Answer 25

• One Yorkshire would include West, East and South Yorkshire and the rural parts of the county

Question 26

what did the government say about the SCR?

Answer 26

cannot be unpicked and will go ahead

Question 27

February 2019 Communities Secretary James Brokenshire dealt a blow to One Yorkshire saying it

Answer 27

did not fit in with the government’s devolution criteria.

Question 28

What is the West Lothian Question?

Answer 28

• 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)

Question 29

Who is the Scottish parliament controlled by?

Answer 29

The Scottish national party

Question 30

What was the results of the Scottish referendum on should Scotland be independent?

Answer 30

• The Result? Yes = 44.7%; No = 55.3%

Question 31

In the run up to the Scottish referendum what did all 3 party leaders do?

Answer 31

(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).

Question 32

What did the conservatives also announce in plans for feb 2015?

Answer 32

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).