Parliament and Devolution

Sponsor: The Leverhulme Trust, ESRC
Dates: 1999 - 2004
Principal Investigator: Meg Russell

Much attention has focused on the changes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since Labour's devolution legislation in 1998/1999. Rather less attention has focused on the changes brought about by devolution to the institutions of the central UK state. The Unit, however, has sought since the outset to monitor and analyse these developments. This includes work on the impact of devolution on the Westminster parliament.

Two projects in particular investigated this area. The first, funded by the large Leverhulme programme on devolution coordinated by the Unit, looked at "the impact of devolution on Westminster". The second, funded by the ESRC, looked specifically at the impact of devolution on local representative roles, including the constituency work function of MPs and members of the devolved assemblies. These projects included analysis of parliamentary documents and other data, questionnaire surveys to members of the House of Commons and the devolved institutions, and interviews with these same members. The results of the projects were published in a number of briefings, book chapters, journal articles and reports.

Readers interested in this topic should also refer to the Unit's research page on devolution, which provides access to the regular devolution monitoring reports - including reports on "devolution and the centre".

Publications :

• The Local Work of Scottish MP's and MSPs: Effects of Non-coterminous Boundaries and AMS by Jonathan Bradbury and Meg Russell
• Westminster and the English Question by Meg Russell and Guy Lodge
• The Constituency work of Scottish and Welsh MPs: Adjusting to Devolution by Meg Russell and Jonathan Bradbury in Regional and Federal Studies

This page last modified 4 September, 2009 by v.spence@ucl.ac.uk