Welsh Referendum

Differences Between the Provisions for Wales and for Scotland

i. Responsibilities

The primary difference between the proposals for a Welsh Assembly and those for a Scottish Parliament are found in the powers of the bodies; while the Scottish Parliament can overturn existing UK legislation and introduce legislation in areas not retained by Westminster, the Welsh Assembly can only amend Westminster legislation in the areas devolved to it.

The Welsh Assembly basically democratises the existing functions of the Secretary of State for Wales, while the powers of the proposed Scottish Parliament are far more extensive than those of the Scottish Secretary. These differences will become most apparent if there is, for example, a Conservative government at Westminster and Labour majorities in Cardiff and Edinburgh: while the Cardiff Assembly could only make adjustments to legislation passed at UK level, the Edinburgh Assembly would only be bound by it in legislative areas retained by Westminster.

ii. Finance

The other obvious difference is that the Scottish Parliament has powers to vary the basic rate of income tax while the Welsh Assembly is reliant solely on funding by central government. (Tony Blair has made it clear that Labour representatives on a Scottish Parliament would not vote for an increase in the basic rate of taxation during the first term of the Parliament. Therefore any increase could not take place until 2004.)

iii. Relations with Europe

Responsibility for negotiations within the European Union is to be retained at Westminster; the UK Parliament will continue to have the ability to legislate to give effect to EU obligations in both Scotland and Wales. However, the Scottish executive will be more directly involved in the Government's decision making on EU matters.

First, members of the Scottish Executive will be able to participate in relevant meetings of the Council of Ministers. In Wales this role is reserved for the Secretary of State.

Secondly, the White Paper on Scottish devolution envisages a representative office in Brussels: 'It is the norm for regional governments within the EU to have representative offices in Brussels', while the corresponding information in the Welsh paper speaks of making full use of existing facilities at the Wales European Centre in Brussels.

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