Department of Health (United Kingdom) - Devolution

Devolution

Most health policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is devolved to the department's counterparts:

• the Scottish Government Health and Wellbeing Directorate
• the Welsh Government
• the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Northern Ireland Executive

A number of health issues are, however, wholly or partly reserved to Westminster:

Scotland

• regulation of the health professions
• abortion
• xenotransplantation
• embryology, surrogacy and human genetics
• medicines, medical supplies and poisons

Northern Ireland

• xenotransplantation
• surrogacy
• human fertilisation and embryology
• human genetics

In Northern Ireland, abortion law is a criminal justice matter and is devolved.

Wales

Under the Welsh devolution settlement, specific policy areas are transferred to the Welsh Government rather than reserved to Westminster. As the distinction between Government and actual health services is seen as less pronounced than in England, the main source of information about current developments is NHS Wales.