The UK Constitution part 3: Devolution

The Bench Report

Ever wondered how different parts of the UK – Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – govern themselves? It's a system called devolution, where the UK Parliament has shared some of its power. Understanding how this works is key to grasping the political landscape of the United Kingdom and how decisions are made across the nations.
This week, The Bench Report delves into the intricacies of devolution in the UK. We'll explore the governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as the UK government offices that work alongside them. It's all about understanding how power is shared from the central UK Parliament.

Here’s what you’ll uncover:

* The Creation of Devolved Governments: Learn how the UK Parliament established these devolved bodies through specific laws, essentially sharing some of its own authority.

* Key Legislation: We highlight the crucial Acts of Parliament that underpin devolution in Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.

* Reserved vs. Devolved Powers: Understand the division of responsibilities – what areas the UK Parliament controls (like defense and foreign policy) and what areas the devolved governments have the power to make their own laws on (like health and education).

* The Sewell Convention: We explain this important political agreement where the UK Parliament generally doesn't legislate on devolved matters without the consent of the relevant devolved government.

* Law-Making in Devolved Nations: Discover that each devolved government has its own unique process for creating laws.

* Leadership and Funding: Learn about the roles of First Ministers and the system of block grants used to fund the devolved governments.

* Intergovernmental Relations: We explore how the different levels of government communicate and work together.

Source: The United Kingdom constitution – a mapping exercise
Research Briefing
Published 23 April, 2025

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No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.

Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Chapters

1. The UK Constitution part 3: Devolution (00:00:00)

2. The Devolution Statutes (00:00:32)

3. Devolved powers (00:02:41)

4. Sewell Convention (00:03:59)

5. Law making procedures (00:05:10)

6. Leadership and appointments (00:06:36)

7. Funding (block grants) (00:08:58)

8. Inter-governmental relations (IGR) (00:09:52)

9. Secretaries of State (00:11:10)

10. Self-denying Ordanance (00:12:19)