As a result of the establishment of a Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and a Welsh Assembly in Cardiff, the people of Scotland and Wales now have greater control over their own affairs. Elections to both of these new institutions were held in May 1999.

The Scottish Parliament has 129 members -- 73 directly elected on a constituency basis and 56 elected by proportional representation. The parliament will run on a four-year fixed term. It is able to make laws on a wide range of matters, including health and education, and to raise or lower the rate of income tax. Scotland also continues to elect Members of Parliament who sit in the House of Commons, London.

The Welsh Assembly has 60 members, directly elected every four years. It has many responsibilities, including the ability to amend laws passed by Parliament which affect Welsh areas.

Following the multi-party talks which concluded in Belfast in April 1998 with what became known as the ‘Good Friday Agreement’, referendums were held in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic in which the Agreement received a clear endorsement. A new Northern Ireland Assembly of 108 members was elected in June 1998.

On December 2, 1998, power was devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and its Executive Committee, the latter consisting of a First Minister and Deputy Minister and ten other Ministers. These were appointed on a proportional basis, giving three posts each to the Ulster Unionist Party and Social Democratic and Labour Party and two posts each to the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein. The North/South Ministerial Council, British Irish Council and British Irish Intergovernmental Conference were also established on the same day.

The Assembly was suspended from midnight on 14 October 2002 and was dissolved on 28 April 2003. The next elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly will take place on 26 November 2003.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland remains responsible for Northern Ireland matters not devolved to the Assembly. These include policing, security policy, prisons, criminal justice and internal relations.

In London, the British Government has established a Greater London Authority. The first elections were held on May 4, 2000. The Greater London Authority consists of a directly elected Mayor who is able to influence policy on transportation, economic development, strategic planning, the environment; and a separately elected London Assembly of 25 members with powers to question the Mayor on his activities and to investigate issues on behalf of Londoners.