P1 Responsibilities of Government

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1. – Levels of government and their responsibilities European Parliament The European parliament is not part of the UK levels of the government, but they do have a significant impact on the European Union citizens and their public services. The EP consists of 736 members who represent 27 different countries in the EU. 72 of which are directly elected from the UK and they are there to represent the interests of our country. The role of the EP is to draft the law that has an impact across all of the EU states on issues such as the environment, equal opportunities, transport, consumer rights and the movement of workers and goods. Central Government The central government is based in the palace of Westminster in London and is the layer of government that operates across the whole of the country. It has very specific responsibilities that no other level of government is able to do. For example the central government sign treaties or agreements with other nations, they also make the laws and defend the nation. The central government contains the major central political institutions of the UK, these are the house of commons and the house of lords. These together with the ruling monarch are known as the Parliament. Devolved Parliaments Devolution is a process where power is transferred from a centralised governmental organisation to a regional organisation. The devolution consists of 3 elements. These are:- The transfer of power to another elected body that is lower down in the chain of authority, the geographical move of power from the capital to another city or town and the transfer of roles and responsibilities of government from central to regional assemblies. In the UK, there are three main assemblies that have devolved power, these are :- the Scottish government, the welsh assembly, and the northern Ireland assembly. Regional Governments In
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