Does Queen Elizabeth II have a representative in Scotland? When Nothern Ireland had self-government (pre-1972) the monarch was represented by a Governor who gave assent to acts of the NI parliament, appionted high gov’t officials, etc. Now that Scotland has a devolved government, does a similiar office exist? Do acts of the Scottish Parliament need royal assent? If so, is it granted locally by someone acting on the Queen’s behalf or personally in London?
It’s done personally by the Queen. From the relevant part of the Scotland Act 1998 covering “Acts of the Scottish Parliament”:
For instance, in the case of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill back in 2002, this BBC news story notes that she granted Royal Assent by signing at Buckingham Palace.
From a page at Reeder’s site:
As I recall, the Queen asks a leader in the Westminster Parliament to form a government without any nomination.[ol]
[li]What happens when the Scottish Parliament is deadlocked? Does the Queen or a UK official ever ask an MSP to form a government, or is this resolved completely internally, similar to legislative bodies in the US?[/li][li]Does the Queen personally appoint the First Minister as she does with the PM at Buckingham? If so, where does this meeting take place?[/li][/ol]
The Queen plays no part in the choice of the First Minister. She must appoint the person whose name is agreed by the Scottish Parliament and then forwarded to her by the Presiding Officer (i.e. the Speaker). (The Scotland Act doesn’t actually exclude the possibility of her trying to exercise informal influence, but that would clearly be (1) against the spirit of the rules and (2) extremely unwise.)
If the Scottish Parliament is deadlocked for more than 28 days, the Presiding Officer is required to request a dissolution. (Again, the Scotland Act doesn’t actually exclude the possibility that such a request could be refused, but again that would clearly be…etc. etc.)
Yes, she makes the appointment in person, with their meeting taking place wherever is mutually convenient - at Holyrood Palace in the case of Donald Dewar and Henry McLeish and at Buckingham Palace in the case of Jack McConnell. However, the difference with the appointment of a UK PM is that a UK PM takes office immediately. What happens with the First Minister is that the Queen gives him (or her) the document which authorises them to be presented with the seals of office (as the Keeper of the Scottish Seal) at a subsequent ceremony in Edinburgh.
Brainssssssssss