Download or read book House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The Referendum on Separation for Scotland Session 2013 14 HC 140 I written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-10-07 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporating HC 139-xv - HC 139-xx, session 2012-13 and follows on from HC 139-II, session 2012-13 (ISBN 9780215052551). For related report, see HCP 542 (ISBN 9780215047489)

Download or read book House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The Referendum on Separation for Scotland The Need for Truth HC 828 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a report published ahead of the expected White Paper on Separation, the Scottish Affairs Committee says that the Scottish Government must meet high standards of accuracy and openness and avoid any risk of using public money to promote a party political agenda. Any document that is produced as a Government White Paper must meet the highest standards of accuracy and clarity, and must be totally honest about the risks, alternative possible scenarios and costs involved in Separation. The Committee is concerned that the Scottish Government has shown a propensity to mislead Scottish voters on the likely outcome of some of the negotiations that would be needed for the final Separation agreement - as well as the timescale on which this could be achieved. Many important questions - like EU membership or the currency - have to be negotiated with the UK Government and others, and the White Paper cannot simply claim that the SNP will get whatever they want. It must lay out all the alternative scenarios that might actually emerge from these negotiations - and their consequences. Particular uncertainties highlighted by the Committee include membership of the EU, currency, and benefits, public services, taxation and pensions.

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-08-07 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scotland can only separate from the UK if the Scottish people make that decision in a referendum. The Committee says any such referendum must have an unchallengeable legal and moral basis, to avoid delays and challenges to the legitimacy of the process and its result. The Scottish Parliament can legislate only on devolved matters, and the Union between Scotland and England is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government has argued that Holyrood is legally competent to set up a referendum but the Committee can find no evidence for this and the Scottish Government has provided no legal justification for this view. Any attempt to conduct a referendum on a dubious legal basis would inevitably be challenged in the courts and could take years to be resolved. No-one should be allowed to use legal wrangles to put off a referendum even longer than is currently planned. The Committee says the best way to ensure a sound legal basis for the referendum is for the UK and Scottish Governments and Parliaments to agree the specific detail of an order under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 to give the Scottish Parliament power to conduct a referendum. The Committee further believes that any Section 30 order proposed by the Government should be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Scottish Affairs Committee and to approval by all of Scotland's MPs before being proceeded with. However, this should not be used to allow those who anticipate being defeated to stall or derail the process

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is of the highest importance that both sides of the Scottish referendum argument will be willing to accept the result of the referendum - whatever that is - and that the losing side should have no basis to claim that the process was biased or illegitimate. The referendum legislation should be passed in the Scottish Parliament and so it should therefore be given the legislative competence to do so. However, that places a heavy responsibility on the Scottish Parliament to build the referendum bill on the widest possible consensus. But the Committee is concerned that in a number of aspects of the process the Scottish Government appears to be pursuing partisan advantage, rather than seeking consensus. In a previous report, 'Do you agree this is a biased question?' (HC 1492, session 2010-12, ISBN 9780215044990), the Committee drew attention to the unsatisfactory nature of the question proposed, but the Scottish Government is persisting with it. The Committee says that despite the real difficulties caused by prolonged delay, the Scottish Government is insisting on holding the referendum as late as possible. Despite agreeing to the impartial oversight of the Electoral Commission, it has refused to commit to be bound by the decisions of this neutral referee. Also, the rules around donations should follow the PPERA framework, and no foreign donations should be allowed

Download or read book The referendum on separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-02-15 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report states the six main areas of the proposed referendum where Secretary of State for Scotland Rt Hon Michael Moore has identified clarification is required: bank regulation; pension payments; the national currency; membership of international organisations; Scotland's defences; and costs of separation. The Committee asked members of the public to submit their questions on what matters need to be clarified on these very broad themes, and what additional questions need to be resolved. In addition the Daily Record launched a campaign in support of the inquiry and its readers have also submitted a series of questions. All the questions received so far are published with this report, and will form the basis of the inquiry. Many relate to specific policy areas where the answers would most likely vary according to which political party or parties formed a Government in a separate Scotland. While it is fair to raise these questions - they will be crucial to voters in determining which party they might vote for in any Scottish General Election post-separation - the Committee says the main structural and institutional issues, which will form the constitutional architecture of a post-separation Scotland, are more pressing in terms of enabling the electorate to make a choice on how they would vote in a referendum on separation. It is these questions that will be the focus for the Committee. The Committee recommends that as a matter of urgency, the Secretary of State for Scotland: takes responsibility for clarifying the UK Government's position on appropriate matters, by co-ordinating work across the Cabinet; and undertakes to work with the Committee to provide a joint provision of factual and unbiased information to the people of Scotland.

Download or read book HC 1241 The Referendum on Separation for Scotland Scotland s membership of the EU written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-05-27 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today Scotland's interests in the European Union are represented by the UK which, as one of the largest Member States, has the voting power and leverage to influence decisions to the benefit of Scotland. In leaving the UK, a separate Scotland would lose this advantage. A separate Scotland is likely to have its application to join the EU accepted - but not within the self-imposed timetable of 18 months, nor with the terms, that the Scottish Government is proposing. The proposal that Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union could be used to provide for Scottish membership is not supported by any other EU state; senior EU figures have ruled it out and it is opposed by the United Kingdom Government - which would, under this process, have to initiate it. The additional and exceptional demand for the ability to discriminate against UK students with respect to tuition fees would be voted against by the UK Government and is therefore almost certain not to be met. Furthermore, insufficient attention has been paid to the need to negotiate the UK's retention of VAT zero rating on a wide range of goods. As a separate Member State, not only would Scotland cease to benefit from the UK rebate (currently worth in the region of £300 million per year to Scotland) but it would have to contribute to it. In these circumstances Scottish voters need a more realistic alternative perspective of how joining the EU would be achieved, and what its likely terms and timetable would be.

Download or read book The referendum on separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-05-08 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report considers whether the wording of the referendum question proposed by the Scottish Government is biased, and what should be done to ensure that a fair and clear question is put to the Scottish electorate. Based on the evidence, it is concluded that the question: Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country? is biased. This is important because wording can affect the result of a referendum. This referendum must be, and be seen to be, fair and acceptable to those on both sides of the argument. It is essential that the result commands wide acceptance. It is now widely agreed that the Electoral Commission is the appropriate body to regulate a referendum and ensure that the wording of the question is clear and fair. This means an exhaustive process of testing of proposed words and how the options are put to the voters. This will take some time, and therefore it must be started soon. It need not wait until a referendum Bill is drafted but debate needs to move on to the policies and issues of separation. The best course is for the parties to agree jointly what question wordings should be put to the Commission. If a consensus cannot be reached, those parties who can agree should approach the Commission together. Our objective is that all can accept the advice of the Commission on a clear and neutral question, which can be incorporated into the legislative process from the very beginning.

Download or read book House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The Referendum on Separation for Scotland A Defence Force For Scotland A Conspiracy Of Optimism HC 842 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-11-23 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Scottish Government's White Paper must make absolutely clear the details of both its foreign and defence policies. Much of what has been suggested up to now suffers from a conspiracy of optimism. The most explicit pledges made to date include: that the whole cost of security and defence will be no more than £2.5 billion, that personnel in the armed services will total 15,000 full time and 5,000 reserve personnel, and that the defence force will include "current Scottish raised and restored UK regiments". Will we then have a defence force which is army heavy? An army which is infantry heavy? Or will historic regiments be redesignated as platoons, reserves or non-infantry units? If Faslane is to be kept at its existing workforce, how will people be retrained? What costs will be inccurred in the transition to the new Scottish Defence Force? What are the implications for procurement whether or not Scotland gets the assets it wants? Hanging over all of this is the future of Trident. Will a separate Scotland impose unilateral nuclear disarmament on the UK? Furthermore, membership for Scotland of NATO will require not only the unanimous agreement of all the existing NATO members, but also the resolution of any disputes with the UK. The Scottish Government must spell out what wages and conditions it would propose to offer to compensate those who would leave behind participation in world class armed services. The people of Scotland are entitled to expect that those who propose drastic change can explain what the consequences would be.

Download or read book The referendum on separation for Scotland session 2013 14 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-03-24 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Earlier volumes of evidence published as HC 1608, session 2010-12 (ISBN 9780215044211), HC 139-I, session 2012-13 (ISBN 9780215047519), HC 139-II, session 2012-13 (ISBN 9780215052551) and HC 140-I, session 2013-14 (ISBN 9780215062482)

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland Session 2012 13 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-08-07 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For related report, see HCP 542 (ISBN 9780215047519)

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland Session 2012 13 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-01-23 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For related report, see HCP 542 (ISBN 9780215047489)

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-10-25 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scottish Separation creates the prospect of unilateral nuclear disarmament being imposed upon the Royal Navy and UK government for an indeterminate period, and says that the UK and Scottish government must fully detail the consequences of the removal of Trident as part of the whole secession agreement as soon as is practical. No vote on separation should go ahead without the Scottish people fully understanding the consequences of separation for defence and the UK's nuclear deterrent. The UK's entire nuclear deterrent is based and serviced in Scotland. The Committee has heard in evidence that nuclear weapons in Scotland could be disarmed within days and removed within months. Since the construction of facilities elsewhere could take upwards of 20 years, such speedy action would inevitably create the prospect of unilateral nuclear disarmament being imposed upon the Royal Navy and UK government for an indeterminate period. The SNP has a commitment to a policy of the "speediest safe transition" of the Trident nuclear deterrent out of Scotland. The Committee says that any insistence on the speediest possible removal of nuclear weapons from a separate Scotland would undoubtedly have consequences for the negotiation of the terms of secession and upon a future separate Scotland's relationship with other countries and international organisations. The Committee says that the people of Scotland deserve to know the full consequences of separation before, rather than after, they vote, and recommends that the UK and Scottish governments establish the consequences of the removal of Trident as part of the whole secession agreement as soon as possible

Download or read book The referendum on separation for Scotland written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-03-16 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Scottish Government must acknowledge and address the damaging effects on higher education and research that Separation would bring. The Committee has examined the various aspects of the Scottish Government's stated policy on higher education and research, and concludes: Scottish universities currently receive over 50% more in research grants from the UK Research Councils than they would if allocation of funding was based on population share; proposals to discriminate against students from the rest of the UK by charging them higher fees would not be legally sustainable in the event of separation and eventual accession to the EU thus creating a £150 million black hole in Scotland's higher education budget with an expectation that this figure would rise; the Scottish Government has not made it clear why it expects the UK's universities and academics to freely co-operate with a separate Scotland which is intent on discriminating against UK students nor how it would overcome the expected loss of unrestricted access to the UK's research base that would inevitably follow separation; Scotland's universities and researchers would lose access to the United Kingdom's Science and Innovation Network (SIN) based in British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates around the world and which is key to enabling the Scottish research community access to sources of international funding and expertise. The Committee recognises the attraction of achieving a degree of flexibility on immigration which Separation may offer and believe the United Kingdom Government should clarify whether any such gains could be made available within the existing immigration system.

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland Session 2013 14 written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Scottish Affairs Committee and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Referendum on Separation for Scotland written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Scottish Affairs Committee and published by Stationery Office/Tso. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Widening the number of options to be put in front of the voters in a referendum may at first sight be an attractive proposition but it suffers a number of defects. The Scottish Government does not have a mandate to hold a referendum on greater devolution. What it promised was a referendum on separation, and that has been agreed. There are very serious unanswered questions about how a three-option referendum would work. There are a number of potential ways in which the results could be calculated and aggregated, and the choice of voting and counting mechanism could well determine the outcome. The outcome should be determined by the choices of voters - it should be clear to them what the consequences of their decision will be. It is probably for this reason that multi-option referendums are very uncommon internationally, on national issues of this sort. International experience strongly suggests that they are inappropriate because they do no lead to effective decisions

Download or read book The referendum on separation for Scotland session 2010 12 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-05-08 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Stationery Office Annual Catalogue written by Stationery Office (Great Britain) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: