Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive

The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive were established to ensure power-sharing between different political communities. While matters such as education and health were devolved from the start, which of the following areas of responsibility only became devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2010?

  1. A
    Education and health
  2. Policing and justiceAnswer
  3. C
    Agriculture and environment
  4. D
    Defence and national security

Answer

Responsibility for policing and justice was devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2010.
The correct answer is policing and justice because, according to the official handbook, these specific powers were devolved from the UK government to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2010, following the initial devolution of other matters in 1998.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the historical context of devolution in Northern Ireland.
The Assembly was established in 1998 with a range of devolved powers.
Establishing a timeline helps distinguish between initial and subsequent devolved powers.
2
Locate the specific milestone mentioned in the official handbook for the year 2010.
The handbook specifies that policing and justice were devolved in 2010.
This is a specific factual requirement for the Life in the UK test.
3
Evaluate the remaining options against the 'reserved powers' category.
Defence and national security are identified as matters the UK Parliament remains responsible for.
Distinguishing between devolved and reserved matters is essential for mastering this topic.

Key Concept

The timeline of devolved powers in Northern Ireland
Estimated Time:45s
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