The UK's national security machinery Contents

Annex 2: High-level summary of reserved and devolved powers relevant to national security

Policy area

Reserved power

Devolved power

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

International Relations and Defence

Yes

National Security

Yes

Nationality and Immigration

Yes

Nuclear Energy

Yes

Media and Telecoms

Yes

Health and Social Care

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Housing, Communities and Local Government

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Business

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Justice and Policing

Partial

Yes

Yes

Energy

Partial

Yes

Note: Devolution in the UK is typically expressed as responsibility for broad policy areas, such as ‘business’ or ‘health and social care’. However, this characterisation can overlook responsibility for areas crucial to national security. For example, while business policy is substantially devolved, responsibility for business competition, including monopolies and mergers, as well as intellectual property, is a reserved power of the Westminster Parliament.252 Health and social care is similarly devolved, but the Westminster Parliament has made specific provision for retention of responsibility for medicines, medical supplies and poisons from the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.253

252 Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5; Wales Act 2017, Schedule 1; Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3.

253 Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5; Wales Act 2017, Schedule 1. The specific reservation is styled ‘Medicines, medical supplies, biological substances etc’ in the Wales Act 2017. The Commons Library notes that “although medicines regulation is devolved to Northern Ireland, by agreement the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency leads for the whole UK”.




Published: 19 September 2021 Site information    Accessibility statement