Devolved governments

Devolved governments
Main articles: Devolution in the United Kingdom, List of leaders of devolved administrations, Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, and Welsh Government
Modern one-story building with grass on roof and large sculpted grass area in front. Behind are residential buildings in a mixture of styles.

The Scottish Parliament Building in Holyrood is the seat of the Scottish Parliament.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own government or executive, led by a First Minister (or, in the case of Northern Ireland, a diarchal First Minister and deputy First Minister), and a devolved unicameral legislature. England, the largest country of the

United Kingdom, has no devolved executive or legislature and is administered and legislated for directly by the UK’s government and parliament on all issues. This situation has given rise to the so-called West Lothian question, which concerns the fact that members of parliament from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can vote, sometimes decisively,[212] on matters that affect only England.[213] The 2013 McKay Commission on this recommended that laws affecting only England should need support from a majority of English members of parliament.[214]

The Scottish Government and Parliament have wide-ranging powers over any matter that has not been specifically reserved to the UK Parliament, including education, healthcare, Scots law and local government.[215] In 2012, the UK and Scottish governments signed the Edinburgh Agreement setting out the terms for a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, which was defeated 55.3 per cent to 44.7 per cent – resulting in Scotland remaining a devolved part of the United Kingdom.[216]