Politics: UK devolution
Devolution
delegation of some governmental powers away from the centre (parliament) to regions which have their own parliaments - scottish parliament (edinburgh), welsh assembly (Cardiff) and nothern ireland assembly (Belfast)
Key Devolution for Scotland
Scotland Act 1998 - gave scottish parliament primary leg powers in n.o. areas - law & order, edcuation, health, transport and environement
Scotland Act 2012 - Tax raising powers to scottish parliament - ability to raise/lower income tax by 10 p to the pound
Scotland Act 2016 - authority over areas such as equal opportunities, abortion law, speed limit and gaming machines.
Also made its own laws regarding who could vote......
Key Devolution for Wales
- Government of Wales Act 1998 - set up welsh assembly, lacked prime leg powers but ability to devise 2nd leg in areas of agriculture, fisheries, education, housing and highways
- Government of Wales Act 2006 - enabled assembly to request further powers from westminster to gain prime leg powers if approaved by a ref - 2011 welsh dev ref = resounding yes vote 64% - prime leg powers in agriculture, transport and health
- Wales Act 2017 - greater prime leg powers in additional policy areas - road signs, onshore oil & gas activity, energy efficiency
Also vary rate of income tax up to 10p to the pound - set up by welsh revenue authority
Also power to change its name - senned cymru in 2020
devolution has been a success
notion of succes differs among voters....
1)dev assemblies have acquired greater powers since their foundation in 1999....
2)Allowed use of alternative voting systems...
3)resuted in a peace dividend in nothern ireland...
devolution not been a success
1)increased demands of full independence...
2)made west lothian question worse....
existing devolution in england
such as directly elected mayors, regional police and crime commissioners.....
West Lothian question
mps from devolved regions still have right to vote on matters relating to england - contrastingly, mps from englsih constitutencies cannot vote on issues devolved to regions
EVEL
22 october 2015 hoc agreed to change standing orders and impose evel
july 2021 hoc rescinded thse standing orders = evel no longer applies, now back to being a convention only
for : English parliament
1)give england parity with the rest of the UK Teresa gorman - england deserved "fair and equal treatment".....
2) would solve the west lothian question
3)would allow an alternative electoral system to be used as is the case elsewhere in the UK = resolve issue of electoral reform
Against : English Parliament
1) lack of support/enthusiasm - 2004 ref for intro of regional assembly in north east england....
2)other ways to resolve the west lothian q - evel - allowed english mps to block anything they didnt like in bills deemed to be 'england only'...
3)English par would dominate both economically and by population....
devolution impact on uk govt
1)reduced powers westminster has over domestic policy outside of England....
2)alternative voting systems....
3)raised the matter of english parl as devolution in the UK is currently asymmetrical