Reserved & Devolved Powers in Scotland

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Politics

Study Theme 1A

Reserved/Devolved Powers

The distribution of reserved and devolved powers means the most important decisions continue to be made at Westminster. Discuss.

Since the Scottish Parliament was formed the issue of which Government should decide what has always been contentious. Many believe that the Scottish Parliament do not have the necessary powers to make the most important decisions whereas many feel they are doing a sufficient job with the powers they have at the moment. The election of an SNP government in 2007 has reignited the debate over reserved and devolved powers.

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The Scottish legal system differs greatly from the English system and has always done so. Prisoners that are arrested under Scottish law remain under Scottish, not British, jurisdiction. A recent example of this was when al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, was offered in a deal with the Libyans to return home from the British Government. This deal was promptly blocked by the Scottish Government and al-Megrahi remains a Scottish prisoner. This shows how Holyrood has the power to overrule Westminster over certain issues.

An issue that, on the other hand, shows how little control Scotland had over certain issues ...

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