Devolution to Scotland and Wales

The Government intends to give the people of Scotland and Wales more control over their own affairs by setting up a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly. These plans were supported by the Scottish and Welsh people in referenda held in September 1997.

The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh will have 129 members -7.3 directly elected on a constituency basis, plus 56 elected by proportion of representation, and will open in 1999 for a four-year fixed term. It will have the same powers as those currently exercised by Scottish Office Ministers and will be able to make laws and raise or lower the basic rate of income tax'by up to three per cent. Scotland will continue to elect MPs to Westminster to represent Scottish interests.

The Welsh Assembly, which will open in May 1999 in Cardiff, will have 60 members, directly elected every four years. It will debate issues of concern in Wales and be responsible for the current Welsh Office's budget, but the Principality will continue to share the same legal system as England.

What are the origins of the names of the main political parties?

The Conservative and Unionist Party dates back to the Tory Party of the late eighteenth century. This broadly represented the interests of the country gentry, merchant classes and official ministerial groups. After Britain's 1832 (electoral) Reform Act, members of the old Tory Party began forming 'conservative associations'. The name Conservative was first used as a description of the Party in the Quarterly Review of January 1830 - 'conservative' because the Party aims to conserve traditional values and practices. The Conservative Party today is the leading right-wing party. The term 'Tory' is still used today to refer to somebody with conservative political views.

The original title of the Labour Party, the Labour Representation Committee, makes the origins of the party clear - to promote the interests of the industrial working class. In 1900 the Trades Union Congress co-operated with the Independent Labour Party (founded 1893) to establish The Labour Representation Committee with Ramsay MacDonald as First Secretary. This took the name Labour Party in 1906.

The Liberal Party emerged in the mid-nineteenth century as a successor to the historic Whig party. 'Whig' was originally a Scottish Gaelic term applied to horse thieves! In the late eighteenth century the Whig Party represented those who sought electoral, parliamentary and philanthropic reforms. However, the term 'Whig' does not survive today. After 1832 the mainly aristocratic Whigs were joined by increasing numbers of middle-class members. By 1839 the term Liberal Party was being used, and the first unequivocally Liberal government was formed in 1868 by William Gladstone. In 1988 the old Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) merged into a single party called the Liberal Democrats.

How is the Speaker chosen?

Contrary to what the title would imply, the Speaker of the House of Commons does not speak - that is, he or she does not make speeches or take part in debates. The office has been held continuously since 1377 and originally the Speaker spoke on behalf of the Commons to the Monarch. That role is now largely ceremonial and today the Speaker's central function is to maintain order in a debate, and he or she may not vote other than in an official capacity ­that is when the result of a vote is a tie. Even then, he or she is not allowed to express an opinion on the merits of the question under debate and must vote in such a way as to give the House another chance to decide.

The Speaker has three deputies - the Chairman of Ways and Means and his or her two Deputy Chairmen. Like the Speaker, they can neither speak nor vote other than in their official capacity.

The Speaker is neither a Minister nor a member of any political party. He or she is still a Member of Parliament, representing a constituency and the constituents' interests.

The choice of Speaker is by election, with Members of Parliament each having one vote. Though the Cabinet and Prime Minister will often be known to favour a particular candidate when a vacancy occurs, support from backbench MPs is vital. In 1992 Betty Boothroyd was elected in a contest with the former Cabinet Minister, Peter Brooke. Usually a Speaker is elected by his or her fellow MPs without opposition.