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Health - the NHS in Scotland (hospitals, GP services etc)

Education – Nurseries, schools, colleges and universities

Local Government – responsibility for 32 local councils to deliver services such as roads and social care

Law and order – criminal law, civil law, the police, court and prison services, the fire service

Environment – environmental protection, flood prevention etc

Sports and the Arts – promotion of sports, museums, historic buildings etc

Social security – some powers over top-up benefits

Taxation – control over part of Scotland's income tax and VAT

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Housing

Highways and transport

Welsh language

control over territories

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Constitutional Affairs – decisions on devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Defence – the Army, Navy and Air Force

Foreign Affairs – relations with other countries eg the EU or USA

Economic Policy – some taxes including business tax

Social Security – control of reserved benefits: universal credit, tax credits

Other – immigration, and drug control and classification

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Wales was conquered by England during the 13th century.

Statute of Rhuddlan caused Wales to lose its de facto independence and formed the constitutional basis for it as a principality in the "Realm of England".

Political movements supporting Welsh self-rule began in the late nineteenth century alongside a rise in Welsh nationalism.

Since World War II, various movements and proposals have advocated different models of Welsh devolution.

First referendum 1979 was rejected by 79% of voters.

In 1997, subsequent referendum on devolution narrowly supported devolution.

Since then exis the devolution of Wales.

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Since the 1960s the Labour Party wanted to create a Scottish Parliament

Goal was to support the decentralization (devotion) of the UK

Conservatives were against that Parliament

In 1997 the Labour Party initiated a referendum

It was held on 09/11 1997

Question was whether there should be a Scottish Parliament with developed power

And whether it should have tax varying powers

Result: „Yes-Yes“

Established in 1999

The Scottish Parliament was established on May 12 in 1999.

It is composed of 129 elected Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). They are elected for five-year terms under the additional member system. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 6 May 2021, with the Scottish National Party winning a plurality.

Furthermore, the Parliament is the legislative of Scotland and debates current issues. It has the right to make laws concerning the “devolved matters” (education, environment,health,..). The “reserved matters” are still in the responsibility of the British Parliament (defence, foreign policy, industry,…).

Devolution of Scotland

the referendum of 2014 --> 18.09.2014

the winning "no" side with 2,001,926 votes and the losing "yes" team with 1,617,989 with

votes

reasons, why the referendum took place:

-campaigns for more powers ability of Scotland to make all its political decisions, so things like

defence and foreign policy

A second referendum?

Reasons to install a new and second referendum → massive changes after Brexit (most

people in Scotland supported the “remain” campaign) and the pandemic

First minister Nicola Sturgeon plans to a vote on the 19 October 2023; but the UK Supreme

Court still needs approve the referendum and Prime Minister Liz Truss opposes the vote (“ a

once-in-a-generation-opportunity”)

Today: no clear image, whether the Scottish people prefer independence of the UK or not

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- Commission on The Constitution Future of Wales: „all options on the table, including independence“
- two broad objectives of the commission:
1. consideration and development of options
2. progressive principal options

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- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_devolution

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Government of Ireland Act 1920
- Intention to establish separate Home Rule institutions within Southern and Northern Ireland
- never applied to Southern Ireland due to the Irish War of Independence

Good Friday Agreement / Belfast Agreement (1998)
- major political development in the Northern Ireland peace progress
- todays devolved system of government is based on the Agreement

Northern Ireland Act 1998
- establishment of a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Assembly
- subsequent to the Belfast Agreement

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Northern Ireland Assembly
- referendums in 1998 --> Assembly established in 1999
- legislature for NI, makes laws
- scrutinizes work of ministers and government departments
- Election of the NI Executive
- "Transferred" matters (education, health and social services, housing, ...)
- "Reserved" matters (import and export controls, financial services, ...)
- "Excepted" matters (constitution, elections, national security, ...)
- 90 political representatives from different parties or independent ("MLAs")

Northern Ireland Executive
- runs government on behalf of Assembly
- 12 ministers

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https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/overview-government-northern-ireland#toc-0

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/devolution-settlement-northern-ireland

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Overview

The devolved institutions in Northern Ireland are constituted under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, with several institutional reforms having taken place since then.

Northern Ireland ministers are chosen from the Northern Ireland Assembly in proportion to party strengths using the d'Hondt formula. The Executive is headed by a First Minister and a deputy First Minister, who have equal status and must act jointly.

Understanding what has been devolved

The Northern Ireland devolution settlement gives legislative control over certain matters (known as 'transferred matters') to the Assembly. In the main these are in the economic and social field. The Assembly may also in principle legislate in respect of 'reserved' category matters subject to various consents, but has not yet done so to any significant degree.

Matters of national importance which, in the normal course of events it is expected will remain the responsibility of HM government and Westminster, are known as 'excepted matters,' and the NI Assembly does not have competence to legislate on these. Schedule 2 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 sets out these areas.

Many UK-wide issues such as broadcasting and genetic research are known as 'reserved matters'. This category originally included policing and criminal justice but those matters were devolved and therefore moved into the transferred field on 12 April 2010. Schedule 3 of the Northern Ireland Act sets out which matters fall into the 'reserved' category.

Anything that isn't explicitly reserved or excepted in Schedules 2 or 3 is deemed to be devolved and the Assembly has full legislative competence. It does not require consent from Westminster or HM government to legislate.

Transferred matters

Issues on which the Northern Ireland Assembly has full legislative powers:

health and social services

education

employment and skills

agriculture

social security

pensions and child support

housing

economic development

local government

environmental issues, including planning

transport

culture and sport

the Northern Ireland Civil Service

equal opportunities

justice and policing

Excepted matters

HM government retains responsibility for matters of national importance, including:

the constitution

Royal succession

international relations

defence and armed forces

nationality, immigration and asylum

elections

national security

nuclear energy

UK-wide taxation

currency

conferring of honours

international treaties

Reserved matters

These are issues where legislative authority generally rests with Westminster, but where the Northern Ireland Assembly can legislate with the consent of the Secretary of State. These include:

firearms and explosives

financial services and pensions regulation

broadcasting

import and export controls

navigation and civil aviation

international trade and financial markets

telecommunications and postage

the foreshore and seabed

disqualification from Assembly membership

consumer safety

intellectual property

The Agreement and the Devolved Institutions

The Agreement (pdf) reached on Good Friday 1998, often referred to as the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement, continues to underpin the government's policy in Northern Ireland, and was the culmination of efforts over many years to move Northern Ireland out of the 'Troubles' period and to restore devolved government, which had been suspended with the prorogation of the old Northern Ireland Parliament in 1972.

The Agreement and the subsequent Northern Ireland Act 1998 (as amended a number of times since 1998, particularly following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement) continue to form the basis of the constitutional structure in Northern Ireland.

The negotiations which led up to the Agreement had been divided into 3 'strands':

strand 1 - dealing with internal arrangements of Northern Ireland

strand 2 - dealing with relationships within the island of Ireland (North-South)

strand 3 - dealing with relationships between HM government and Irish government (East-West)

The legislature

The Northern Ireland Assembly is composed of 90 members elected by single transferable vote and has full legislative powers on most economic and social matters. The Assembly sits at Parliament Buildings, Stormont Estate, in Belfast.

Members of the Legislative Assembly ( MLAs) meet to debate issues and introduce laws to support the people of Northern Ireland. Each MLA represents her or his constituency, and there are 5 MLAs for each constituency - the constituencies themselves are the same as those used to elect MPs to the House of Commons.

On important or controversial matters, the Assembly votes by the special threshold of 'cross-community support, which is defined (in the Agreement and in the 1998 Act) as either:

parallel consent - an overall majority plus a majority of unionists and a majority of nationalists (sometimes called '50:50:50'); or

weighted majority - an overall majority of 60% plus at least 40% of the designated Nationalists voting and 40% of the designated Unionists voting.

The Executive

The Northern Ireland Executive is structured to ensure power-sharing and inclusivity. It is chaired by a First Minister and deputy First Minister (who hold office jointly and are required to act jointly). It is made up of 8 other ministers appointed by the d'Hondt process in proportion to the parties' strength in the Assembly. Each minister heads up their own Northern Ireland department with responsibility for specific areas of policy and delivery. The Justice Minister is also a member of the Executive, but is elected by the Assembly following a cross-community vote rather than by d'Hondt.

The Executive Office is a department in itself, which is responsible for such issues as equality, poverty and good community relations. The other departments are:

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - including fisheries

Communities

Education

Economy - including further and higher education

Finance

Health

Infrastructure

Justice - including policing and justice functions

Scotland

You can read the detailed guide on the devolution settlement and Devolution Act for Scotland.

Wales

You can read the detailed guide on the devolution settlement and Devolution Act for Wales.

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The devolved institutions in Northern Ireland are constituted under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, with several institutional reforms having taken place since then. Northern Ireland ministers are chosen from the Northern Ireland Assembly in proportion to party strengths using the d'Hondt formula.

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England is the only country in the UK without Devolution. All decisions about the English country are dedicaded by the Westminster Parliament.

In history there have been many ideas to devolve England.
-1912 Churchill tried to involve a federal system
-1969  Redcliff-Maud Report suggested devolution in 8 provinces
-1973 Royal comission on the Constitution appointed 8 regional assemblies
-all these ideas where never etablished

First real devolution in 1994:
10 Government Office Regions for England to Coordinate central government departments ->abolished between 2008-2010
-subsequent some referendums about devolution where rejected

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-on 22 October 2015 "English votes for English laws" -> defeated in 7/2021
-Cornwall ( historic county) movement
-Yorkshire movement
-The Northern Party

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- own law making paralment
- The United Kingdom becomes a voluntary union of 4 nations
- justice and police set in wales
- Set own tax and spending priorities