CONCLUSION
54. This report presents some broad principles for
dealing with devolution and recommends approaches to the problems
we consider are most likely to be pressing. At this stage, we
have been surprised to the extent to which our recommendations
have been generally applicable, even though, as our witnesses
stressed, the devolution settlement in Scotland is very different
to that in Wales and when devolution comes, as we hope it will,
to Northern Ireland, it will take a different form again. The
implementation of devolution is likely to throw up more procedural
questions, and these may require different solutions for Scotland,
Wales or Northern Ireland. We also stress that although the principles
we have set out are uniform, their application will not result
in uniformity. We fully expect the practice of the House to evolve
in a way which reflects the diversity of the devolution settlements
and the concerns of the Members of Parliament for the constituent
parts of the United Kingdom. It is impossible at this stage to
predict the nature of that evolution but given the importance
of the project, we will continue to monitor it closely. We will
keep this subject under review and we would welcome any submissions
our colleagues at Westminster or in the devolved legislatures
wished to make.
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