‘The devolution arrangements for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could easily be removed by the Westminster Parliament.’ Discuss.

The issue here is how legally and politically embedded devolution is within the UK.

• Explain what the devolution arrangements are, the background to their introduction and how they changed the organisation of the UK.
• Emphasise that the Westminster Parliament has supreme law-making authority so in theory has the power to repeal the devolution Acts, but consider how easily devolution could be dismantled e.g. introduced after referendums and a popular vote, provisions in statutes recognising the permanence of the devolved institutions, the role of the Sewel convention.
• Would removing devolved powers require a referendum and would Parliament be bound by the result? (See also Chapter 5 for this question.)