📚 The Role and Powers of Devolved Bodies in the UK | 英国权力下放机构的作用与权力
Devolution has transformed the UK’s constitutional landscape by transferring law-making and executive powers from Westminster to elected bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as to the London Assembly and a range of city-region mayors. This article examines the roles and powers of these devolved bodies, the legal limits on their authority and the key conventions that shape how devolution operates within the UK’s uncodified constitution.
权力下放通过将立法和行政权力从威斯敏斯特转移至苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰的民选机构，以及伦敦议会和一系列城市区域市长，改变了英国的宪制格局。本文考察这些权力下放机构的作用与权力、其权限的法律限制，以及塑造权力下放在英国不成文宪法中运作方式的关键惯例。
1. What is Devolution? | 什么是权力下放？
Devolution is the statutory transfer of powers from the UK Parliament and government to elected bodies in the constituent nations and regions. It is not the same as federalism because Westminster remains legally sovereign and can, in theory, amend or repeal the devolution statutes. Devolution is therefore often described as ‘delegated, not shared, sovereignty’.
权力下放是指英国议会和政府通过法律将权力转移给组成国家及地区的民选机构。它与联邦制不同，因为威斯敏斯特在法律上仍保有主权，理论上可以修改或废除权力下放立法。因此，权力下放常被形容为“委托而非分享的主权”。
The main devolved bodies are the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament), the Northern Ireland Assembly, the London Assembly and elected mayors. Each has different powers, reflecting the asymmetrical nature of UK devolution.
主要的权力下放机构包括苏格兰议会、威尔士议会（Senedd Cymru）、北爱尔兰议会、伦敦议会及直选市长。每个机构拥有不同的权力，反映出英国权力下放的不对称性。
2. The Scottish Parliament: Role and Powers | 苏格兰议会的作用与权力
The Scottish Parliament was established by the Scotland Act 1998 and operates under a reserved powers model: it can legislate on any matter not explicitly reserved to Westminster. Devolved areas include health, education, local government, housing, agriculture, environment, tourism, justice, policing and most aspects of transport.
苏格兰议会根据《1998年苏格兰法》设立，实行保留权力模式：它可就任何未被明确保留给威斯敏斯特的事项立法。下放领域包括卫生、教育、地方政府、住房、农业、环境、旅游、司法、警务以及大部分交通事务。
Fiscal powers have expanded through the Scotland Act 2012 and Scotland Act 2016. The Scottish Parliament can set a Scottish rate of income tax, control landfill tax and land and buildings transaction tax, and create new benefits in certain areas. It also has limited borrowing powers.
通过《2012年苏格兰法》和《2016年苏格兰法》，财政权力有所扩大。苏格兰议会可设定苏格兰所得税税率，管控垃圾填埋税、土地和建筑物交易税，并在某些领域创设新福利。它还拥有有限的借款权。
3. The Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament): Role and Powers | 威尔士议会的作用与权力
The Welsh Parliament, legally renamed Senedd Cymru in 2020, began as the National Assembly for Wales under the Government of Wales Act 1998. Initially it had only executive powers and then limited legislative competence, but the Wales Act 2017 moved Wales to a reserved powers model and gave the Senedd clearer law-making authority.
威尔士议会于2020年法定更名为 Senedd Cymru，最初依据《1998年威尔士政府法》设立为威尔士国民议会。起初它只拥有行政权力，后来才有有限的立法权限，但《2017年威尔士法》使威尔士转向保留权力模式，并赋予议会更明确的立法权。
Devolved subjects include health, education, housing, local government, transport, environment, agriculture, culture and the Welsh language. Since 2019 the Senedd has had partial income tax powers, allowing it to vary the Welsh rate of income tax.
下放事项包括卫生、教育、住房、地方政府、交通、环境、农业、文化和威尔士语言。自2019年起，威尔士议会拥有部分所得税权力，可以调整威尔士所得税税率。
4. The Northern Ireland Assembly: Role and Powers | 北爱尔兰议会的作用与权力
The Northern Ireland Assembly was created under the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998. It has extensive devolved powers over areas such as health, education, agriculture, enterprise, environment and regional development. Justice and policing were devolved in 2010.
北爱尔兰议会根据1998年《贝尔法斯特（耶稣受难日）协议》和《1998年北爱尔兰法》设立。它在卫生、教育、农业、企业、环境和区域发展等领域拥有广泛的下放权力。司法和警务于2010年下放。
A distinctive feature is the power-sharing executive, which requires unionist and nationalist parties to share office. The Assembly can be suspended by the Secretary of State if power sharing collapses, as happened between 2017 and 2020 and again from 2022 to 2024.
一个显著特点是权力分享行政机构，要求联合派和民族派政党共同执政。如果权力分享崩溃，大臣（Secretary of State）可暂停议会，例如2017至2020年以及2022至2024年间的暂停。
5. London Assembly and Elected Mayors | 伦敦议会与直选市长
The Greater London Authority, consisting of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, was established in 2000. The mayor exercises executive powers over transport, planning, housing, policing (through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime), fire services and economic development. The Assembly scrutinises the mayor and approves the budget.
大伦敦政府由伦敦市长和伦敦议会组成，成立于2000年。市长行使交通、规划、住房、警务（通过市长警务与犯罪办公室）、消防和经济发展等行政权力。伦敦议会负责审查市长并批准预算。
Outside London, combined authorities with directly elected mayors, such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, have more limited devolved powers over transport, skills, housing and regeneration. Their role has grown but remains weaker than that of the devolved legislatures.
在伦敦以外，设有直选市长的联合当局，例如大曼彻斯特和西米德兰兹，在交通、技能、住房和城市更新方面拥有较有限的下放权力。它们的作用不断增强，但仍弱于权力下放议会。
6. Reserved Powers: What Westminster Keeps | 保留权力：威斯敏斯特保留什么
Under all three main devolution settlements, certain policy areas remain reserved to the UK Parliament. These include the constitution, foreign affairs, defence, national security, immigration, international trade, macroeconomic and monetary policy, the civil service and most social security benefits.
在所有三个主要权力下放安排中，某些政策领域仍保留给英国议会。这些领域包括宪法、外交、国防、国家安全、移民、国际贸易、宏观经济与货币政策、公务员制度以及大部分社会保障福利。
The reserved powers model is used in Scotland and Wales, meaning that if a subject is not listed as reserved, it is devolved. Northern Ireland uses a transferred/excepted model, but the practical effect is similar for most domestic services.
苏格兰和威尔士采用保留权力模式，即未列为保留的事项即属已下放。北爱尔兰采用“转移/除外”模式，但对大多数国内服务而言实际效果相似。
| Policy area | 政策领域 | Reserved to Westminster | 威斯敏斯特保留 | Devolved | 已下放 |
|---|---|---|
| Defence and foreign policy | 国防与外交 | Yes | 是 | No | 否 |
| Health | 卫生 | No | 否 | Yes | 是 |
| Education | 教育 | No | 否 | Yes | 是 |
| Constitution | 宪法 | Yes | 是 | No | 否 |
| Immigration | 移民 | Yes | 是 | No | 否 |
| Income tax rates | 所得税税率 | Partly reserved | 部分保留 | Scottish and Welsh rates | 苏格兰和威尔士税率 |
7. The Sewel Convention and Legislative Consent | 塞维尔惯例与立法同意
The Sewel Convention states that the UK Parliament will not normally legislate on devolved matters without the consent of the relevant devolved legislature. Consent is given through a legislative consent motion. The convention is not legally enforceable, as the Supreme Court confirmed in the Miller case (2017), but it is politically significant.
塞维尔惯例规定，英国议会通常不会在未获得相关权力下放议会同意的情况下就下放事务立法。同意通过立法同意动议表达。正如最高法院在2017年米勒案中所确认的，该惯例不具有法律强制力，但在政治上具有重要意义。
This convention has become important after Brexit, when the UK government legislated in areas that intersected with devolved compet
Published by TutorHao | A-Level Mathematics Revision Series | aleveler.com
更多咨询请联系16621398022（同微信）
屏轩国际教育cambridge primary/secondary checkpoint, cat4, ukiset,ukcat,igcse,alevel,PAT,STEP,MAT, ibdp,ap,ssat,sat,sat2课程辅导，国外大学本科硕士研究生博士课程论文辅导