Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Devolution is the transfer of powers from the UK Parliament at Westminster to regional or national bodies within the UK.
• Devolution does not mean full sovereignty. The UK remains a unitary state, and Parliament at Westminster remains legally sovereign.
• Devolution is asymmetrical, meaning that different parts of the UK have different powers and arrangements.
• The main devolved bodies are:
• the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government
• the Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament and Welsh Government
• students may also see this referred to in older materials as the Welsh Assembly
• the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive
• Students must know that devolution was introduced in the late 1990s under Labour and represented a major constitutional change.
• The Scottish Parliament was established in 1999.
• The Scottish Government is the executive body responsible for carrying out policy in devolved areas in Scotland.
• The Scottish Parliament has the strongest devolved powers of the three main devolved institutions.
• Areas devolved to Scotland include:
• health
• education
• transport
• housing
• justice
• agriculture
• aspects of taxation
• Scotland has had important tax-varying powers and significant legislative authority.
• The Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament was also established in 1999, originally as the National Assembly for Wales.
• The Welsh Government is the executive body responsible for implementing policy in Wales.
• Welsh devolution was originally weaker than Scottish devolution but has developed over time.
• The Senedd now has law-making powers in a range of devolved areas, including:
• health
• education
• transport
• local government
• housing
• aspects of the environment
• The Northern Ireland Assembly was created as part of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
• The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved executive body.
• Devolution in Northern Ireland is especially significant because it is tied to the peace process and a system of power-sharing between unionist and nationalist communities.
• The Northern Ireland Assembly has powers in areas such as:
• health
• education
• justice
• agriculture
• local government
• Students should know that devolution in Northern Ireland has sometimes been suspended because of political disagreement.
• Students must know the difference between reserved powers and devolved powers.
• Devolved powers are areas where the devolved institutions can make decisions and laws.
• Reserved powers remain under the control of Westminster.
• Major reserved matters usually include:
• foreign policy
• defence
• immigration
• the constitution
• most welfare policy
• Students should know that devolution has created different policies in different parts of the UK.
• Examples include differences in:
• university tuition fees
• prescription charges
• education policy
• health policy
• Students must know that there is an ongoing debate around devolution in England.
• England does not have its own devolved parliament or assembly equivalent to those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
• This has led to debates about the West Lothian question, which asks why MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can vote on some England-only matters at Westminster, while English MPs cannot vote on devolved matters in those nations.
• Students should know that there has been some existing devolution in England, although it is limited and uneven.
• Existing devolution in England includes:
• combined authorities
• metro mayors
• devolved arrangements in areas such as Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and London
• The Greater London Authority, with the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, is an important example of devolution within England.
• English devolution has generally focused more on transport, planning, housing and local economic development than on full legislative power.
• Students must know that devolution has had a major impact on the government of the UK.
• It has changed the territorial distribution of power within the UK.
• It has reduced the extent to which the UK is governed only from Westminster.
• It has encouraged debates about:
• the unity of the UK
• the rise of nationalism, especially Scottish nationalism
• the fairness of constitutional arrangements
• whether the UK should move further towards federalism
• Students should know that devolution has created tensions within the constitution because Westminster remains sovereign in theory, but devolved institutions have important democratic legitimacy in practice.
• Students should know that devolution became especially politically significant after the Scottish independence referendum of 2014 and during debates surrounding Brexit.
• Devolution has made UK government more complex because policy and authority are now spread across several levels.

• Explain what devolution is and how it differs from full independence or federalism.
• Explain why devolution is described as asymmetrical in the UK.
• Describe the structure, roles and responsibilities of:
• the Scottish Parliament and Government
• the Senedd and Welsh Government
• the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive
• Compare the powers of the three devolved bodies.
• Explain why Scotland has generally had stronger devolved powers than Wales.
• Explain the distinctive nature of devolution in Northern Ireland, especially the importance of power-sharing.
• Analyse and evaluate the roles, powers and responsibilities of the different devolved bodies in the UK.
• Use examples of devolved policy differences to show how devolution works in practice.
• Explain the debate around devolution in England.
• Analyse the arguments for and against further devolution in England.
• Explain the West Lothian question and why it matters.
• Identify and explain existing devolution in England, including metro mayors, combined authorities and London government.
• Evaluate whether devolution in England is sufficient or whether England remains under-devolved.
• Analyse and evaluate the impact of devolution on the government of the UK.
• Assess whether devolution has strengthened democracy by bringing decision-making closer to people.
• Assess whether devolution has weakened the unity of the UK by encouraging nationalism and territorial division.
• Evaluate the impact of devolution on Westminster and parliamentary sovereignty.
• Explain how devolution has changed relations between:
• Westminster and the devolved institutions
• the constituent nations of the UK
• central and regional government
• Use relevant examples, such as:
• policy differences between nations
• the Scottish independence referendum
• the impact of Brexit on devolved government
• Construct balanced arguments about whether devolution has been a success.
• Write developed analytical responses that go beyond description and include clear evaluation of:
• the powers of devolved bodies
• English devolution
• the constitutional impact of devolution on the UK