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Year 8 - Citizenship

How does devolved government work?

How does the political system work in the UK?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the roles of government and parliament and how they are organised. They explore how elections work and what the role of political parties and MPs are.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe some of the powers and responsibilities of the devolved governments and explain some of the pros and cons of devolution.

Key Notes

  • Devolution is the transfer of political powers from a central government to regional government.
  • Devolved powers are issues or matters on which the devolved government or regional areas can decide.
  • Reserved powers are issues or matters on which the UK Government can decide.
  • Devolved governments have authority on issues affecting their regions, such as health, education and transport.
  • Devolution has pros and cons, for example, giving control, but may contribute to confusion or inequality.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • devolution: the transfer of political powers from a central government or parliament to a national, regional or local government or parliament
  • government: the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
  • regional: relating to a particular area, or part of an area, of a state or country

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Devolved governments can make laws on any issue.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Devolution is the transfer of political powers from a central government to regional government. Devolved powers are issues or matters on which the devolved government or regional areas can decide.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'devolution'

the transfer of political powers from a central government or parliament to a national, regional or local government or parliament.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Devolved governments can make laws on any issue. Correction: The powers of devolved governments are limited to specific policy areas defined by devolution agreements.

More Lessons In This Unit

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