Territorial Extent
7.This Act contains provisions that trigger the Sewel Convention under the Scottish Devolution Settlement.  The relevant sections, 87 to 91, relate to sharing information on income tax, tax credits, benefits and training for specified purposes.  The Sewel Convention provides that Westminster will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters in Scotland without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.  In this case the Scottish Parliament gave its consent for the inclusion of the provisions in this Bill which affect the executive competence of Scottish Ministers on 20th February 2008.
8.The provisions relating to Northern Ireland concern changes to the remit of the QCA. Section 161 extends the remit of the QCA in Northern Ireland to enable it to develop and publish criteria for the recognition of bodies wishing to award or authenticate qualifications. Section 163 extends the powers of the QCA in Northern Ireland to cover the regulation of vocational qualifications currently excluded from its scope. The Secretary of State is required to consult the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland before section 161(4) and section 163 can be brought into force.