The Post-Devolution Governance of Rural and Environmental Affairs: Early Impressions

Abstract

In the report so far we have examined institutional change in a broad sense, not focusing on specific arrangements for individual policy areas. That coverage is important because there are general features relating to the handling of all areas of policy. In addition, we have thereby covered the machinery for horizontal issues that cut across different UK and devolved departments responsible for European policy. However, a lot of European business is dealt with in a more sectorised manner, whereby the functional departments do not have to consult widely across government. Instead, the Brussels-London-Edinburgh/Cardiff triangle comprises officials in one policy area. In this chapter we focus upon agriculture and, in a shorter study, on environmental policy. Our interest is once again in how far the policy machinery has changed as a consequence of devolution.