The Constitution Flashcards
Human Rights Act (1998)
- Sets out fundamental rights that everyone across the UK has access to
- Incorporates the rights set out in ECHR into domestic law
- Can now seek justice in a British Court for rights violations
Freedom of Information Act (2000)
- Allows members of the public to request any information from any public body which has to be met unless confidential
- Can be an administrative fee
- Used in MP expenses scandal (2009)
Judicial Reform (2005 & 2009)
- Established a Supreme Court in a separate building
- Removed law lords from HoL
- Created an independent commission for appointments
House of Lords Reform (1999)
- Removed all but 92 hereditary peers
- reduced membership from 1,330 to 669
- Second stage never enacted
Scottish Devolution (1998)
- Devolved powers such as agriculture, education, housing and health
- A result of growing nationalist sentiment in Scotland
- call for further devolution
- Indy Ref in 2014
Scottish Devolution (2016)
- Following the Indy Ref (2014) - very close result (45% - 55%)
- Further powers were devolved including income tax powers and extensive welfare powers
English Devolution
- Metropolitan mayors
- little desire for devolution (78% of public voted against a North East Devolution Referendum)
- Housing and transport transferred to local councils
- EVEL - Devolved bodies shouldn’t get to vote on strictly English laws
- Support for an English Parliament only 16-19%
Welsh Devolution
- Narrowly devolution was passed with 50.3% of the vote (with a 50.2% turnout)
- Power over education, Welsh language board and Environmental agency
- 2014 gave borrowing and taxation powers
What % of English population does devolution cover?
41%
Example of regional policy from devolution
Cornwall offshore windfarm done by the Cornwall County Council
What % of Cornish people wanted devolution
60%
Example of representation from English devolution
In 2021, Oxfordshire had a Lib Dem, labour, green coalition - more views represented
Example of urban areas being represented
Urban areas which are more likely to vote labour can be represented on mayoral level (In London, 3 terms of Labour mayor under Conservative government) even if not represented in government
Example of approval of devolution
Sadiq Khan won 56.9% vote in 2016 - biggest personal mandate of anyone in history
Example of desire for devolution
Mebyon Kernow (party for Cornwall) won 5 seats on Cornwall county council
