Read the two linked articles about a recent Supreme Court decision that overturned a law passed by the Welsh assembly in 2013 and answer the following questions.
1. Explain how this decision illustrates the purpose and responsibilities of the UK Supreme Court. How is this different from the role of the US Supreme Court? What exactly did the Supreme court decide? Who benefited from this decision? Do you think it was the right decision? Why or why not?
2. How does this article illustrate the concept of devolution? How does this article illustrate the concept of a welfare state?
1. The major responsibility of the UK Supreme Court is to uphold decisions over the three devolved governments of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The role is different from the US Supreme Court as the US Supreme Court decides if a certain is constitutional or not, and offers changes to it that the Legislature decides to include in the next round of bill passing. The Court decided that Welsh ministers "no right to impose charges to fund the NHS, and insurers should not be given extra liabilities for asbestos exposure which long predated the bill." Yes, because the law had passed, it would have provided the National Health Service with 1 million pounds more.
ReplyDelete2. The concept of devolution is evident here because the power shifted from the central government to the regional government. The welfare state is evident here because the issue is over health care, which is a social welfare issue.
The purpose and responsibilities of the Supreme Court is to uphold the law and to be the final judge in cases involving conflict with certain legislature. The UK Supreme Court is different from our own because laws and legislature can be voted upon that may seem unconstitutional or unfair to the people. The people of the UK benefited from this decision because they will not have to pay taxes to provide the NHS with more money for asbestos treatment.
ReplyDeleteThis article illustrates devolution because the UK government has placed power upon the Welsh assembly to pass laws on its own for the region. This article illustrates the welfare state because it the law that was overturned was to provide people with healthcare provided by the government and funded by taxpayers.