Devolution is the transfer of certain powers from the UK Parliament in Westminster to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is one of the biggest constitutional changes of recent decades and is regularly tested.
Scotland
A referendum in 1997 paved the way for the Scottish Parliament, which opened in 1999. It sits at Holyrood in Edinburgh and has 129 elected members called Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). It can pass laws on devolved matters such as health, education, housing, justice, transport and the environment, and has limited powers to vary income tax.
Wales
The Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for Wales) opened in 1999 in Cardiff Bay. It has 60 elected members and powers similar to but historically narrower than those of the Scottish Parliament. Welsh devolution has been progressively expanded since 1999, including new tax-raising powers under the Wales Act 2014.
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Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Assembly was established by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which ended the Troubles. It sits at Stormont in Belfast with 90 elected members called MLAs. Power is shared between the largest unionist and nationalist parties in a unique mandatory coalition.
What stays in Westminster
Some matters are reserved to the UK Parliament regardless of devolution. These include foreign affairs, defence, immigration, citizenship, most taxation and the constitution itself. England has no separate devolved parliament — laws on English-only matters are made at Westminster.
Why this matters for the test
Expect to see questions on what year the devolved bodies were established (1999 for Scotland and Wales, slightly later operationalisation in Northern Ireland), what they are called and what powers they hold. The handbook gives the names and dates very clearly — make sure you know them.
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