Devolution is the delegation of power from a central government to local bodies. Scotland was granted devolution by the passing of the Scotland Act in 1998 which means that Scotland has a parliament with ‘devolved’ powers within the United Kingdom. Any powers which remain with the UK Parliament at Westminster are reserved. Reserved matters were set out in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act. A basic breakdown is given below. Essentially the powers of the Scottish Parliament are set out by what it does not have legislative competence in rather than in what it can do.

• Devolved powers: Matters such as education, health and prisons, which used to be dealt with by the Parliament at Westminster, are now decided in Scotland.
• Reserved powers: Decisions (mostly about matters with a UK or international impact) are reserved and dealt with at Westminster.

This section looks further into how the Parliament operates within its legislative competence, including a section on the distinct roles of the Parliament and the Scottish Government/Executive, the government branch.

For further information on Powers of the Parliament, see the Public Information sections within Visit, Learn, Interact discussing "How the Scottish Parliament Works" and "Representing the People of Scotland". In addition, you can consult the MSPs channel for information on "MSPs and their Work".