The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales
The need to introduce more transparency in the way devolution is funded in Scotland and Wales is more pressing than ever, given the international financial crisis and the national policy of fiscal austerity implemented by David Cameron’s Coalition-Government. In fact, the financial relationship betw...
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| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises, |
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| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lenguaje: | Anglais |
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Études écossaises
2013
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| Acceso en línea: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:etudesecossaises_849 |
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| record_format |
openedition |
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OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
Scotland Act 2012 Barnett Formula financial autonomy devolved taxes Calman Commission Holtham Commission Silk Commission Loi sur l’Écosse (2012) formule Barnett financement de la dévolution autonomie financière ressources financières directes commission Calman commission Holtham commission Silk |
| spellingShingle |
Scotland Act 2012 Barnett Formula financial autonomy devolved taxes Calman Commission Holtham Commission Silk Commission Loi sur l’Écosse (2012) formule Barnett financement de la dévolution autonomie financière ressources financières directes commission Calman commission Holtham commission Silk Gibson-Morgan, Elizabeth The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| description |
The need to introduce more transparency in the way devolution is funded in Scotland and Wales is more pressing than ever, given the international financial crisis and the national policy of fiscal austerity implemented by David Cameron’s Coalition-Government. In fact, the financial relationship between Scotland and Wales and Westminster has been uncertain for several years and the Celtic nations are all the more vulnerable as their only source of revenue is the Barnett Formula. At present, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly spend money from a block grant which they do not raise and for which they are not accountable to their electorate. Devolutionists have long argued that it is paradoxical to give wide powers of autonomy to a Welsh Assembly and a Scottish Parliament, but deprive them of direct financial resources which denies them a full status as assemblies.The government’s Scotland Act directly raises this issue for the first time. Its fairly smooth legislative progress in the Westminster Parliament has revived the desire to abolish the Barnett grant and replace it with a needs-based formula but has also raised expectations of financial autonomy for Scotland and Wales. In effect, the Scotland Act 2012 implements the proposals of the Calman Commission for Scotland. It will give the Scottish Parliament new tax- raising power as well as a new rate of income tax. Furthermore, it will enable the Scottish Government to borrow money for Scottish projects.The question of Wales is now looming on the horizon as the Welsh Assembly’s report by its Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales, chaired by Gerry Holtham, called for similar powers to be granted to the Welsh Assembly. All in all, the Scotland Act 2012 is an important step forward in the process of devolution. However, it raises as many issues as it settles in both Scotland and Wales. |
| author |
Gibson-Morgan, Elizabeth |
| author_facet |
Gibson-Morgan, Elizabeth |
| author_sort |
Gibson-Morgan, Elizabeth |
| title |
The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| title_short |
The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| title_full |
The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| title_fullStr |
The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales |
| title_sort |
scotland act 2012: the next phase of devolution in scotland and its potential impact on wales |
| publisher |
Études écossaises |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesecossaises.849 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises/849 |
| _version_ |
1877243644491071488 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:etudesecossaises_849 https://doi.org/10.4000/etudesecossaises.849 urn:doi:10.4000/etudesecossaises.849 en https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises/849 2013-03-27T01:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/g5tx All rights reserved The Scotland Act 2012: The Next Phase of Devolution in Scotland and its Potential Impact on Wales Études écossaises UGA Éditions - Université Grenoble Alpes info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1969-6337 info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/1240-1439 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises Gibson-Morgan, Elizabeth Scotland Act 2012 Barnett Formula financial autonomy devolved taxes Calman Commission Holtham Commission Silk Commission Loi sur l’Écosse (2012) formule Barnett financement de la dévolution autonomie financière ressources financières directes commission Calman commission Holtham commission Silk The need to introduce more transparency in the way devolution is funded in Scotland and Wales is more pressing than ever, given the international financial crisis and the national policy of fiscal austerity implemented by David Cameron’s Coalition-Government. In fact, the financial relationship between Scotland and Wales and Westminster has been uncertain for several years and the Celtic nations are all the more vulnerable as their only source of revenue is the Barnett Formula. At present, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly spend money from a block grant which they do not raise and for which they are not accountable to their electorate. Devolutionists have long argued that it is paradoxical to give wide powers of autonomy to a Welsh Assembly and a Scottish Parliament, but deprive them of direct financial resources which denies them a full status as assemblies.The government’s Scotland Act directly raises this issue for the first time. Its fairly smooth legislative progress in the Westminster Parliament has revived the desire to abolish the Barnett grant and replace it with a needs-based formula but has also raised expectations of financial autonomy for Scotland and Wales. In effect, the Scotland Act 2012 implements the proposals of the Calman Commission for Scotland. It will give the Scottish Parliament new tax- raising power as well as a new rate of income tax. Furthermore, it will enable the Scottish Government to borrow money for Scottish projects.The question of Wales is now looming on the horizon as the Welsh Assembly’s report by its Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales, chaired by Gerry Holtham, called for similar powers to be granted to the Welsh Assembly. All in all, the Scotland Act 2012 is an important step forward in the process of devolution. However, it raises as many issues as it settles in both Scotland and Wales. La nécessité d’introduire davantage de transparence dans la manière dont la dévolution est financée en Écosse et au pays de Galles est plus pressante que jamais, étant donné la crise financière internationale et la politique nationale d’austérité fiscale assortie de coupes dans les dépenses publiques introduites par le gouvernement de coalition de David Cameron. La réorganisation des accords de financement actuels présentée par ce dernier soulève nombre d’incertitudes concernant la manière dont la dévolution est financée. En fait, depuis plusieurs années, les rapports financiers entre l’Écosse, le pays de Galles et le Parlement de Westminster sont mal définis et les nations celtes sont d’autant plus vulnérables que leur unique source de revenus est l’allocation Barnett. On reconnaît que cette dernière, basée sur les pourcentages de la population, est un guide peu satisfaisant en ce sens qu’elle accorde des ressources trop généreuses à l’Écosse et qu’elle est peu équitable à l’endroit du pays de Galles. Pour le moment, le Parlement écossais et l’Assemblée galloise disposent de fonds provenant d’une allocation globale à laquelle ni l’un ni l’autre ne contribuent et pour laquelle ils n’ont aucun compte à rendre à leur électorat. Cette situation réduit leur légitimité en tant qu’assemblées démocratiques et est d’autant plus paradoxale que l’Écosse et le pays de Galles sont en passe d’atteindre leur « majorité » en tant que nations, tant sur le plan politique que législatif.Les partisans de la dévolution eux-mêmes ont longtemps argué qu’il est paradoxal d’accorder une large autonomie à une Assemblée galloise et à un Parlement écossais tout en leur refusant l’accès à des ressources financières directes. Une telle situation les amoindrit en tant qu’assemblées démocratiques et les prive d’un statut plein et entier en tant qu’assemblées. Le Scotland Act 2012 soulève pour la première fois directement cette question. Il a ravivé le désir d’abolir la formule Barnett et de la remplacer par un mode de calcul indexé sur les besoins ; il a également fait naître l’espoir d’une autonomie financière tant en Écosse qu’au pays de Galles. |