| Module Identifier |
LA37610 |
| Module Title |
DEVOLUTION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM |
| Academic Year |
2005/2006 |
| Co-ordinator |
Ms Ann P Sherlock |
| Semester |
Intended for use in future years |
| Next year offered |
N/A |
| Next semester offered |
N/A |
| Co-Requisite |
LA16220 or LA36220 or GF16220
If you wish to take this module and do not have the necessary co-requisite, please see Ann Sherlock to discuss if poss |
| Course delivery |
Lecture | One two hour and two one hour lectures in weeks 1-3. Two one hour lectures in week 4 |
| |
Seminars / Tutorials | Seminar. Three one hour seminars during the semester |
| Assessment |
| Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
|---|
| Semester Assessment | Mini Dissertation: Submission of mini dissertation - maximum of 4000 words required in week 11 | 80% |
| Semester Assessment | Plan: Short Plan of The Mini Dissertation Required in week 7 | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resit by submission of mini dissertation of 4000 words | |
|
| Professional Exemptions |
Not Required for Professional Purposes |
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- explain general constitutional principles and practice regarding the division of power within states
- discuss the division of power between the various assemblies / parliaments within the UK
- discuss the role and powers of the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament
- discuss the way in which business and members are regulated in the different bodies
- carry out research on a legal topic
- discuss issues of particular significance in the individual bodies / jurisdictions
- evaluate the impact of devolution on the UK Constitution
Brief description
1998 saw the passage of legislation to establish devolution in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and providing for a legislative body in each of these jurisdictions. This module examines those bodies - the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Scottish Parliament - in relation to their powers and working methods. In this way, the module provides an opportunity to students interested in public law to consider in detail some of the very profound changes which have taken place in recent years on the British constitutional landscape.
Aims
Aims of the module:
The aim of this module is to build upon the general introduction to devolution which was provided in the Constitutional Law module (LA16220) and to provide an opportunity for students to examine legal aspects of the devolution arrangements in the United Kingdom in greater depth and breadth.
Content
Teaching
Teaching will be through lectures (14) and seminars (3). The lectures will be concentrated at the beginning of the semester and will aim to set out the basic issues and highlight themes to be pursued by students in their mini-dissertation (see section on assessment). Seminars will be used for discussing work being undertaken by students for their mini-dissertation.
Syllabus
Introduction and General Material: different models, federalism, unitary states. Comparative material regarding general classifications. Legal and practical arrangements concerning the division of power within states.
Introduction to regional legislatures in the UK: Historical background; devolution in Northern Ireland 1922-1972; proposals in the 1970s; background to devolution in the 1990s; subsequent developments including the Richard Commission in relation to the powers of the National Assembly for Wales.
An examination of the legislative bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in relation to the following:
- powers and functions
- structures within the body, with special reference to the executive and its relations with the rest of the body
- openness and transparency
- accountability
- sleaze, integrity and members' interests
- consultation with the people
- inclusivity
- sensitive issues eg language, religion etc
- the extent to which 'traditional' constitutional norms and practices are tested.
Reading Lists
Web Page/Sites
** Recommended Consultation
English language website http://www.wales.gov.uk/
Welsh language website http://www.cymru.gov.uk/
Scotland http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/
Northern Ireland http://www.ni-assembly.gov.uk
Books
No single text is being recommended for purchase. Paricular emphasis will be placed on using relevant primary materials such as the relevant legislation, white papers on devolution, standing orders of the different bodies and their debates. A good deal if information is available on the internet
The website of the entre for Welsh Legal Affairs includes a bibliography of material on devolution (material published since 1997). The same bibliography is published from in the Cambrian Law Review
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6