The Impact Of Devolution On The United Kingdom Flashcards
Which party first promised to give Wales and Scotland a referendum on giving them further devolved powers? When?
The Labour Party; 1997
What was the outcome of the referendum that the Labour Party promised would happen in 1997?
A majority of Scottish voters voted for a Scottish Parliament
A majority of Welsh voters voted for a Welsh Assembly
When was the Scottish independence referendum?
2014
What did the Scotland Act 1998 do?
Created the Scottish Parliament
Gave Scotland the power to make laws over:
Local government
Housing
Environment
Law and order
Education
Health
What two things has Scotland done (as an example) with the powers given to it in 1998?
Abolished tuition fees
Been the first part of the UK to ban smoking in public areas
What does Scotland not have powers over?
Foreign policy
Defence
Immigration
Monetary policy
Major parties promised to still give Scotland more devolved powers even if it lost the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It has lost it obviously, but what new powers does it have?
Varying the rate of income tax by up to 10p in the pound (3p before)
Having the right to receive up to 50p of the proceeds of VAT collected in Scotland
Determining abortion laws
Determining speed limits
Why is there less demand for independence in Wales compared to Scotland?
Possibly because Wales was part of the English state during the Medieval Era, so it did not develop its own legal system
Why has Welsh nationalism struggled to unite the country?
Plaid Cymru wins most of its seats in the Welsh-speaking parts of Wales, but the Labour Party usually wins a majority of the seats in English-speaking areas.
When the Government of Wales Act established the Welsh Assembly, what devolved powers did Wales gain?
Powers over areas like education, health, transport and agriculture
So essentially the only power the Welsh Assembly has is to decide how to implement Acts of Parliament that had already been passed at Westminster.
Why has Wales been gaining further devolved powers?
To ensure that Scotland doesn’t create an uneven balance of power in the United Kingdom, not because of increasing levels of Welsh nationalism
What did the Wales Act 2014 do?
Allowed Wales to control a number of taxes
Changed the name of the Welsh Assembly Government to the Welsh Government to show its importance
What did the Wales Act 2017 do?
Gave Wales the power to vary income tax from up to 10p in the pound
Gave Wales new powers over electoral arrangements, transport and energy
Changed the name of the Welsh Government AGAIN to the Welsh Parliament
When did Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland separate? What happened then?
- Northern Ireland was given its own Parliament.
How did Northern Ireland become part of the UK?
In 1972, the UK government ‘imposed direct rule over Northern Ireland because of escalating violence’
