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A devolved English Parliament, giving separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England similar to the representation given by the Welsh Assembly , Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly , is currently an issue in British Politics . The Campaign for an English Parliament is a pressure group that are lobbying for this. HISTORY See Also: Parliament of England The first English Parliament arose during the Thirteenth Century , comprising members of the nobility and clergy, and representatives from Shire s and Borough s. It developed a bicameral arrangement with an upper House Of Lords for the nobility and clergy, and a lower House Of Commons for the shires and boroughs. The powers of the parliament were fairly great: the king could not institute a new law or tax without its consent. The Laws In Wales Acts passed in 1536 and 1543 , incorporating Wales into England. Previously, not all members were English by birth (notably Simon De Montfort ), or had solely English Concerns , but now, members could be elected by, and for, people who were not English. The parliament convened in 1542 had twenty-seven elected Welsh members in the House of Commons. The English Parliament was dissolved (and the Parliament Of Scotland with it) by Treaty Of Union in 1707 , and replaced with the Parliament Of Great Britain . DEVOLUTION AND THE WEST LOTHIAN QUESTION See Also: West Lothian Question Following the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly in 1999 England was left as the only Nation in the United Kingdom with no separate representative body, although the Northern Ireland Assembly has been subject to periods of suspension. The West Lothian Question which was posed by the Scottish MP Tam Dalyell in the 1970s is wide open: :If power over Scottish affairs is devolved to a Scottish Parliament, how can it be right that MPs representing Scottish constituencies in the Parliament Of The United Kingdom still have the power to vote on equivalent issues affecting England and other parts of the UK, but not Scotland? Since the Welsh Assembly has no primary legislative powers, the introduction of an English Parliament would probably result in the Assembly gaining legislative competence and becoming a Welsh Parliament. Of the mainstream political parties in Wales, only Plaid Cymru (which wants outright independence) and the Liberal Democrats support this. Scotland and Northern Ireland already have separate legal systems and laws, so the delegation of legislative authority does not cause any such issues. PROPOSALS Consequently, some have advocated a new English Parliament, entirely separate from the British Parliament , to counteract what they see as a democratic imbalance. Provision for such body existed in Tony Benn 's defeated Commonwealth Of Britain Bill . Alternatively, some would have this parliament take the form of an English Grand Committee in the United Kingdom House Of Commons rather than as a new body with separate elections, while some see it as replacing the House of Commons, with a reformed House Of Lords being the sole UK chamber. ACTIVITY There are currently several groups working to raise this issue of a Devolved English Parliament, including the Campaign For An English Parliament and the English Constitutional Convention . Also, the English Democrats Party supports the creation of an English parliament, although they have achieved limited success at the polls As Of 2006 . ENGLISH REGIONS The current Labour government favours devolution to nine Regions within England, claiming that it is too populous (with over 80% of the UK's population) to be governed as a Subnational Entity . Consideration has yet to be given to what powers these regions will eventually wield, and what impact this will have on the role of Local and National government. The first regional assembly was established for Greater London on 2000 - 07-03 , after a Referendum which showed a majority of 72% in support. But Greater London is seen as a special case, and such a high level of public support is atypical. In all other regions, notably the South West England and South East England , there is little interest. Growing support for the assemblies was thought to be present in the north of England, but a Referendum to establish a regional assembly for North East England on 2004 - 11-04 was defeated by a majority of 78% against. Further referenda in the other regions, notably those planned for Yorkshire And The Humber and North West England have been abandoned. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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