Social_policy_in_the_UK 英美国家概况 教学课件.doc

Social policy in the UK The government of welfare in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom is a unitary state in which central government substantially directs most government activity. However, the structure of services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differs in certain respects. Each region has both a Secretary of State and administrative department situated in central government, and its own assembly and executive, which take on the role in the region of certain central government ministries. The laws which apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different from those in England and Wales. The Scottish parliament has in consequence very much more influence than the Welsh Parliament, and the Scottish Government (a name confusingly used for both government and executive) has the role of a civil service for Scotland, with a social policy in its own right. The administrative structure in Northern Ireland is significantly different: personal social services are the responsibility of the Health Board (as they are in the Republic of Ireland), and public housing is managed by Northern Ireland Housing Executive. This framework changes frequently. The most important changes in recent years have been the reformation of the Department of Social Security into the Department of Work and Pensions, the significant transfer of income maintenance to the Inland Revenue (now HMRC, for Her Majestys Revenue and Customs), and the demolition of the Department of Transport, the Regions and Local Government, whose key social policy responsibilities were placed in the Office fo the Deputy Prime Minister and have now been relocated mainly into Communities and Local Government. The main government departments dealing with social policy in the UK CENTRAL GOVERNMENT Responsibilities NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS LOCAL GOVERNMENT Parliament Primary legislation The Scottish Parliament; the Welsh Parliament; the Northern Ireland Assembly Local authoritiesLondon boroughs Cabinet Office