Scotland Act 1998

Scotland Act 1998
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to provide for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and Administration and other changes in the government of Scotland; to provide for changes in the constitution and functions of certain public authorities; to provide for the variation of the basic rate of income tax in relation to income of Scottish taxpayers in accordance with a resolution of the Scottish Parliament; to amend the law about parliamentary constituencies in Scotland; and for connected purposes.
Citation1998 c. 46
Introduced byDonald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland
Territorial extent United Kingdom
except section 25 (witnesses and documents:offences) which extends only to Scotland
Dates
Royal assent19 November 1998
CommencementVarious dates from 19 November 1998 to 1 April 2000.[1][2]
Other legislation
AmendsAct of Settlement 1701, United Nations Act 1946
Amended by
Relates toReferendums (Scotland & Wales) Act 1997
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was one of the most significant constitutional pieces of legislation to be passed by the UK Parliament between the passing of the European Communities Act in 1972 and the European Union (Withdrawal) Act in 2018 and is the most significant piece of legislation to affect Scotland since the Acts of Union in 1707 which ratified the Treaty of Union and led to the disbandment of the Parliament of Scotland.