Why Is The U K Government Not Making The Rules For The U K?

[ToraToraTora]

Surely it's adding to the confusion with NI, Wales and Scotland doing their own thing.

[New Judge]

//NJ, if you mean The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) 2020, there are separate Statutory Instruments for each country.//

Yes I do, and thanks, Corby, you are quite correct (had I read the heading at the top of the document I would have known) :-(

I think initially they were identical but there has already been one amendment to the English one. Section six about leaving home has been amended to:

"...no person may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse."

This was to overcome the problem where people were leaving home "with a reasonable excuse" but then remaining outside without one. If the others have not been amended similarly you can have the situation where someone living near the border can go outside their house in England (with a reasonable excuse), cross the border and remain there (without an excuse) perfectly legitimately and then commit an offence as soon as they cross the border to go back home.

It's a trivial example but demonstrates the problems that arise when a single nation has different legislation.

"...something called devolution
which you must have voted for but didnt notice"

I didn't vote for it and, yes, I would have noticed.

[mushroom25]

the reason there were separate regulations for Scotland and northern Ireland was because the parent act (Control of Disease 1984) of the regulations didn't apply outside England and wales:-

// 79 (3) This Act shall not extend to Scotland or to Northern
Ireland. //

[Spicerack]

We can do what we want. We'll just get a bailout from England if push comes to shove.

[Old_Geezer]

Nationwide issues should have been left in control of the national government, not devolved. But once you let the genie out of the bottle it's difficult to convince it to return.

[drmorgans]

Is it any different to the United States where the president can decide on one policy but (in certain matters) the states to go a different way.

[Spicerack]

Yes, and I bet the handful of Democrat States that are locked down tight with no sign of easing up will be demanding bailouts from the Federal Gov.

[TheDevil]

I don't understand... In the speech Boris made on Sunday he specifically mentioned how England, Scotland, Northern Island, and Wales were all under his control, and working together.

Is there any information to contradict what the Prime Minister has said?

[MartinMillar]

Devil we have been told that Stormont will announce their updates today but lockdown is expected to continue for the next 3 weeks

[TheDevil]

I understand, with Northern Island being on a separate island to England Scottland and Wales that it may differ slightly, but has there been any official mention that any country is doing their own thing?

I'm sure they're all working together even if doing things slightly differently. There will be a blanket layer of rules and regulations from Boris/parliment

[Old_Geezer]

Yes. There have been announcement re not going as far as Boris suggests from Nicola Sturgeon, and Wales announced "early" their intent regardless of what Westminster decided. Unsure about Northern Ireland.

[Old_Geezer]

You can't travel there to exercise for example.