| This article is part of a series on |
| Politics of the United Kingdom |
|---|
.svg) |
 United Kingdom portal |
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
In the United Kingdom, devolved matters are the areas of public policy where the Parliament of the United Kingdom has devolved its legislative power to the national legislatures of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while reserved matters and excepted matters are the areas where the UK Parliament retains exclusive power to legislate.
Devolution in the United Kingdom is regarded as the decentralisation of power from the UK Government, with powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive and the Welsh Parliament and Welsh Government, in all areas except those which are reserved or excepted.[1] Amongst the four countries of the United Kingdom, Scotland has the most extensive devolved powers controlled by the Scottish Parliament, with the Scottish Government being described as the "most powerful devolved government in the world".[2][3]
In theory, reserved matters could be devolved at a later date, whereas excepted matters (defined only in relation to Northern Ireland) are not supposed to be considered for further devolution. In practice, the difference is minor as Westminster is responsible for all the powers on both lists and its consent is both necessary and sufficient to devolve them. Because Westminster acts with sovereign supremacy, it is still able to pass legislation for all parts of the United Kingdom, including in relation to devolved matters.[4]
- ^ "Devolution". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "The progress of devolution - Erskine May - UK Parliament". erskinemay.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "5 reasons why Scotland is more powerful as part of the United Kingdom". GOV.UK. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Sewel Convention". Institute for Government. 16 January 2018.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search