What happens when a devolved bill is referred to the UK Supreme Court?
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill (Northern Ireland) has been referred to the UK Supreme Court. We explain why, and how a bill reference works.

A briefing on devolution in Northern Ireland
Devolution in Northern Ireland (10 MB , PDF)
The devolution settlement in Northern Ireland is, as the academic Colin Knox observed in 2010, “inextricably linked to the divisive issues which precipitated its inception and characterise its operation in practice”. Furthermore, as others have written, in Northern Ireland “more than any other part of the United Kingdom, devolution remains a process”.
That process began in 1921, when executive and legislative power was first devolved to the newly created Northern Ireland, making it the only part of the UK to have experience of devolution prior to 1999.
Although Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions resemble those of Scotland and Wales there are three important differences:
This briefing paper sets out the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland as it stands, before revisiting the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and charting subsequent legislation and political events since that date.
Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions have not been fully functioning since the Democratic Unionist Party politician Paul Givan announced his resignation as First Minister on 3 February 2022.
Devolution in Northern Ireland (10 MB , PDF)
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill (Northern Ireland) has been referred to the UK Supreme Court. We explain why, and how a bill reference works.
A briefing paper on the legal issues surrounding a Scottish independence referendum
The House of Commons is being asked to approve changes to plans for the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster.