Answer sought to the West Lothian question

Many powers have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament

The UK government is to announce it is setting up a commission to look into the so-called West Lothian question.

There has been a long-running debate about whether Scottish (and Northern Irish and Welsh) MPs should be allowed to vote on legislation that affects only England.
English MPs are not able to vote on many matters which are now devolved to other UK parliaments.
Ministers are expected to give details of the commission later.
An attempt to solve the problem was part of the coalition agreement, but it has taken the UK government more than a year to announce details of the promised commission into what is a long-running political sore.
The question was first posed when the Labour government tried unsuccessfully to introduce devolution in Scotland in the 1970s.

Tam Dalyell first raised the question in the 1970s

Labour MP Tam Dalyell, whose constituency at the time was West Lothian, wondered how long English MPs would tolerate members from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland exercising an important effect on English politics while they themselves had no say in the matters outside England.
Since the devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, and to the Northern Irish and Welsh assemblies, the West Lothian question has frequently returned to the fore.
The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government's outline of the broad remit of the Commission on the issue coincides with a private member's bill which is due to pass its final Commons hurdle this week.
Ministers would prefer Conservative backbencher Harriet Baldwin's Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill to be withdrawn and the commission left to do its work.
Ms Baldwin's bill would require all bills put before the Westminster parliament to contain a clear statement of how they affect each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - including knock-on financial implications.
She hopes that this would allow it to become accepted practice that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs would not vote on England-only Bills.

Posted in: World News