Topic explainer

The Devolved Administrations

How Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland legislate on devolved matters such as health and education.

Since 1999 some of the powers of the UK Parliament have been transferred to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff, and the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont in Belfast. Each is led by a First Minister and a cabinet of ministers. Devolved matters typically include health, education, agriculture, the environment, transport and elements of taxation.

Further reading: an editorial guide on this topic opens in a new window for additional context.

Reserved matters — those still decided at Westminster — include defence, foreign affairs, immigration and most aspects of taxation and welfare. England has no separate parliament; matters that affect only England are decided at Westminster. Local councils across the UK make decisions on local services such as bin collection, planning and local roads.

You may be asked where the Scottish Parliament meets (Holyrood, Edinburgh), what the Welsh parliament is called (the Senedd), or what kind of matters are devolved.

Test yourself on this topic

These questions from the official-format question bank cover the same material. Tap any question to see the correct answer and a short explanation.

Keep going

Related topic explainers