Devolution in the UK (L15) Flashcards
What happened in 1998?
2 REFERENDUMS.
In Scotland, 11 Sept 1997, two questions:
There should be a Scottish Parliament (agree or disagree) (74:26).
A Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers (agree or disagree) (64:36).
In Wales, 18 Sept 1997, one question:
There should be a Welsh Assembly (agree or disagree) (50.3:49.7).
What did the Scotland Act 1998 set out?
Unicameral legislature; 129 MSPs; elected on the Mixed Member System - Parliamentary Government, with Scottish Government emerging from and accountable to Scottish Parliament.
A Parliament of limited legislative competence—not a sovereign legislature.
Using the “reserved powers model” – everything is devolved except for that which is specifically reserved to Westminster.
Full list of reserved powers in Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998.
Schedule 4 to the Act – matters which the Scottish Parliament may not “modify”.
What is devolution like in Wales?
Government of Wales Act 1998 created an Assembly of 60 Members, with powers to make statutory instruments and to spend public money, but no primary law-making powers.
Based on the “conferred powers model” – i.e. Assembly had only those powers conferred on it by the Act, everything else remaining reserved to Westminster.
Amended by Government of Wales Act 2006 (on basis of Richard Commission), which began to separate more clearly the Assembly from the “Welsh Assembly Government”.
Further referendum in 2011 on whether the Assembly should have primary law-making powers (63% voted Yes).
1998 and 2006 GoWA legislation replaced by the Wales Act 2017 (on basis of Silk Commission).
Moves Wales to “reserved powers model” (as in Scotland) and confers (limited) tax powers on Welsh Assembly—or, since 2020, the Welsh Parliament.
Ron Davies: devolution is “a process, not an event”.
What is devolution like in Northern Ireland?
Devolution in NI is part of the peace process.
International process underpinned by formal international agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland (the Belfast Agreement, aka the Good Friday Agreement).
Devolution in NI is, by design, consociational democracy—underpinned by a requirement that the unionist and nationalist communities (and parties) share power.
Devolution in NI has been suspended several times since 1998 (including 2003-6 and 2017-20) and direct rule re-imposed (whereas, since its establishment in 1999, it has never been suspended in Scotland or Wales).
