Academy's Director named to UK Government Commission

Professor Charlie Jeffery appointed to a six-person Commission on the West Lothian Question

The UK Government has announced the composition of the six-person expert Commission to examine issues raised by the so-called West Lothian Question.

Sir William McKay, former Clerk of the House of Commons, will chair the Commission which will comprise:

• Sir Stephen Laws, First Parliamentary Counsel in the UK Government
• Sir Geoffrey Bowman, Former First Parliamentary Counsel in the UK Government
• Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Principal and Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh
• Professor Yvonne Galligan, Professor of Gender Politics at Queen's University Belfast
• Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Former UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The Commission, which begins work in February, will "consider how the House of Commons might deal with legislation which affects only part of the United Kingdom, following the devolution of certain legislative powers to the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National Assembly for Wales."

But just what is 'the West Lothian Question'? Put simply, it is a question concerning whether Members of the UK Parliament from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland should be allowed to vote on legislation that solely affects England.

The phrase 'West Lothian Question' was coined by Labour MP Tam Dalyell. He was concerned with the right of a Scottish MP to vote at Westminster on a matter affecting England (for example, an education bill) while being unable to vote on an education bill that affected their own constituency (because education would be devolved to the Scottish Parliament).

Today the issue has shifted somewhat and the phrase tends to be used in situations where UK Governments pass legislation that solely affects England but with the votes of Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish being necessary to secure their majority.

This page was published on 27 January 2012