Chapter 17

A (dis)United Kingdom? Devolution and the Policy Process

Devolution in general

The Department for Constitutional Affairs:
www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/index.htm
The Department for Constitutional Affairs has overall responsibility for relationships between Westminster and Whitehall and the devolved institutions. You will find here useful information on the history of devolution and the main pieces of legislation establishing the devolved institutions reproduced.

The Constitution Unit, University College London:
www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/devolution/index.htm
The Constitution Unit, based at the Department of Political Science at University College London have been examining the impact and progress of devolution in each of the UK's nations since 1999. Their very detailed quarterly monitoring reports on devolution in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions are essential reading and can be accessed from the links at the right-hand side of the homepage.

Scotland

The Scottish Executive:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Home
The website of the Scottish government which provides extensive information on the policy initiatives being pursued by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.

The Scottish Parliament:
www.scottish.parliament.uk/
In addition to the records of proceedings that we would expect, this website also provides an interesting example of 'e-government' with the capacity of submitting online petitions to the Parliament's Petition Committee. The research briefings produced by Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are also very useful resources when researching contemporary Scottish politics.

The Scottish National Party:
www.snp.org/
Homepage of the Scottish National Party. The site provides details of the party's policies, particularly its ambitions for Scottish independence. In addition, it provides party press releases and speeches and information on the party's elected representatives.

Wales

The National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government:
www.wales.gov.uk/index.htm
The homepage of the Welsh Assembly and the Assembly Government provides a number of useful resources. On the National Assembly section of the site, the papers provided by the Members Research Service are very useful in getting a sense of the major political issues in Wales. As part of the Welsh Assembly Government's commitment to openness you can also read the minutes of Cabinet meetings.

Plaid Cymru:
www.plaidcymru.org/
Website of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Nationalist Party. The site includes details of the party's policies and its elected representatives in Cardiff, Westminster and Brussels.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Assembly:
www.niassembly.gov.uk/
Given the current suspension of the Assembly its website is currently mainly of historical value in understanding its brief period of operation. Should devolution be restored this website will fulfil a similar function to those of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales.

Northern Ireland Office:
www.nio.gov.uk/index.htm
With the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont suspended since 2002, the Northern Ireland Office has taken responsibility for governing Northern Ireland. The website provides the usual selection of press releases and general information but also a comprehensive collection of official publications relating to Northern Ireland, including the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN):
cain.ulst.ac.uk/
The CAIN website is perhaps the most comprehensive website devoted to the conflict in Northern Ireland since 1968. The site includes a variety of useful resources including a timeline, briefings on the key political and social issues in Northern Ireland and extensive bibliographies.

The Democratic Unionist Party:
www.dup.org.uk/
Website of the Unionist party led by the Reverend Ian Paisley which became the largest party in the Assembly in the 2003 election and which comprehensively defeated the Ulster Unionist Party in the 2005 UK general election.

Sinn Féin:
sinnfein.org/
The website of Sinn Féin, the principal Republican party. The site provides a variety of resources including news releases and official party policy statements.

Social Democratic Labour Party:
www.sdlp.ie/
The SDLP has recently been eclipsed as the major representative of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland by Sinn Féin but remains a significant player in Northern Ireland's politics. Its website includes details of its representatives and its latest policy statements and initiatives.

The Ulster Unionist Party:
www.uup.org/
The website of the UUP includes details on its principles, policies and personnel as it attempts to rebuild after its calamitous defeat in the 2005 UK general election.

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