Scottish Parliament
What does it do?
The Scottish Parliament represents the people of Scotland and
has the power to make decisions and pass laws in the following
areas:
- Economic development
- Education and training
- The environment
- Farming, fisheries and forestry
- Health and social services
- Housing
- Law and order
- Local government
- Police and fire services
- Planning
- Sport and the arts
- Tourism.
These are called devolved matters. While the UK
Parliament can still make laws for Scotland it will not normally
make a law on a devolved matter without the consent of the Scottish
Parliament. However, the UK Parliament is still responsible for
areas such as constitutional affairs, defence and foreign affairs.
These are called reserved matters.
How is it made up?
There are 129 elected Members of the Scottish
Parliament (MSPs) and, if you live in Scotland, you are
represented by eight of them. One MSP represents your Scottish
Parliament constituency and the other seven all represent your
region.
The Scottish Executive is the government in
Scotland and is responsible for all devolved matters. The Scottish
Executive is formed from the party or parties holding the most
seats in the Parliament and is led by the First Minister. MSPs who
are members of the Executive are collectively referred to as ‘the
Scottish Ministers' and each has a specific area of responsibility.
The Ministers are answerable to the Scottish Parliament and have to
answer questions from other MSPs about their policies and
activities.
How is it elected?
When you vote in a Scottish Parliament election, you have two
votes – one to elect your constituency member and
one to elect your regional member. In the
constituency ballot, you choose the candidate you want to represent
you directly. In the regional ballot, you choose from a list of
party or independent candidates to represent your region.
In the constituency ballot, the candidate with the largest
number of votes is elected. In the regional ballot, the allocation
of seats is worked out by dividing the number of regional votes
gained by the number of constituency seats gained and adding one.
This means that if a party does not win enough constituency seats
in the constituency ballot to match the support it has in the
regional ballot, it can gain additional seats.
When is it elected?
Elections for the Scottish Parliament take place every four
years. The next elections are scheduled to take place in May
2011.
Where can I find out more?
Scottish Parliament
website