Whois & Analysis for gov.scot

Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level.

It is a form of administrative decentralization.

Devolved territories have the power to make legislation relevant to the area.

In regulatory jurisdictions that provide for this (a list including most or all developed countries with free market economies) Consumer protection is a group of laws and organizations designed to ensure the rights of consumers, as well as fair trade, competition, and accurate information in the marketplace.

The laws are designed to prevent the businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors.

They may also provide additional protection for those most vulnerable in society.

Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation that aim to protect the rights of consumers.

For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products—particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food.

A tax (from the Latin ) is a financial charge or other levy imposed upon a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a state or the functional equivalent of a state to fund various public expenditures.

A failure to pay, or evasion of or resistance to taxation, is usually punishable by law.

Taxes consist of direct or indirect taxes and may be paid in money or as its labour equivalent.

Most countries have a tax system in place to pay for public/common/agreed national needs and government functions: some levy a flat percentage rate of taxation on personal annual income, some on a scale based on annual income amounts, and some countries impose almost no taxation at all, or a very low tax rate for a certain area of taxation.

Some countries also charge a tax on corporate income, dividends, or distributions—this is often referred to as double taxation as the individual shareholder(s) receiving this payment from the company will also be levied some tax on that personal income.

Health is the level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living organism.

In humans it is the ability of individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental or social changes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in its broader sense in its 1948 constitution as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." This definition has been subject to controversy, in particular as lacking operational value, the ambiguity in developing cohesive health strategies, and because of the problem created by use of the word "complete".

Other definitions have been proposed, among which a recent definition that correlates health and personal satisfaction.

Equal opportunity is a stipulation that all people should be treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers or prejudices or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified.

The aim according to this often complex and contested concept is that important jobs should go to those "most qualified" – persons most likely to perform ably in a given task – and not go to persons for arbitrary or irrelevant reasons, such as circumstances of birth, upbringing, having well-connected relatives or friends, religion, sex, ethnicity, race, caste, or involuntary personal attributes such as disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Chances for advancement should be open to everybody interested such that they have "an equal chance to compete within the framework of goals and the structure of rules established." The idea is to remove arbitrariness from the selection process and base it on some "pre-agreed basis of fairness, with the assessment process being related to the type of position", and emphasizing procedural and legal means.

Individuals should succeed or fail based on their own efforts and not extraneous circumstances such as having well-connected parents.

It is opposed to nepotism and plays a role in whether a social structure is seen as legitimate.

The concept is applicable in areas of public life in which benefits are earned and received such as employment and education, although it can apply to many other areas as well.