House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The Referendum on Separation for Scotland, Session 2010–12 Oral and written evidence Oral evidence taken and ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 2 November 2011, 22 February, 27 February, 07 March, 14 March, 21 March and 18 April 2012 HC 1608 Published on 8 May 2012 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £21.50 The Scottish Affairs Committee The Scottish Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Scotland Office (including (i) relations with the Scottish Parliament and (ii) administration and expenditure of the offices of the Advocate General for Scotland (but excluding individual cases and advice given within government by the Advocate General)). Current membership Mr Ian Davidson MP (Labour/Co-op, Glasgow South West) (Chair) Fiona Bruce MP (Conservative, Congleton) Mike Freer MP (Conservative, Finchley and Golders Green) Jim McGovern MP (Labour, Dundee West) Iain McKenzie MP (Labour, Inverclyde) David Mowat MP (Conservative, Warrington South) Pamela Nash MP (Labour, Airdrie and Shotts) Simon Reevell MP (Conservative, Dewsbury) Mr Alan Reid MP (Liberal Democrat, Argyll and Bute) Lindsay Roy MP (Labour, Glenrothes) Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP (Scottish National Party, Banff and Buchan) The following members were also members of the committee during the parliament: Cathy Jamieson MP (Labour/Co-op, Kilmarnock and Loudoun) Mark Menzies MP (Conservative, Fylde) Graeme Morrice MP (Labour, Livingston) Fiona O’Donnell MP (Labour, East Lothian) Julian Smith MP (Conservative, Skipton and Ripon) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/scotaffcom. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Mr Eliot Wilson (Clerk), Duma Langton (Inquiry Manager), James Bowman (Senior Committee Assistant), Gabrielle Hill (Committee Assistant), Keli Toseafa (Sandwich Student) and Ravi Abhayaratne (Committee Support Assistant). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Scottish Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6123; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. List of witnesses Wednesday 2 November 2011 Page John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner for Scotland, Electoral Commission, Andy O’Neill, Head of Office, Electoral Commission, and Andrew Scallan, Ev 01 Director of Electoral Administration, Electoral Commission Wednesday 22 February 2012 Rt Hon Michael Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon David Mundell MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, and Alisdair Ev 18 McIntosh, Chief Executive Officer, Scotland Office Monday 27 February 2012 Professor Alan Page, Professor of Public Law, University of Dundee; Professor Stephen Tierney, Professor of Constitutional Theory, School of Law, University of Edinburgh; and Aidan O'Neill, Queen’s Counsel, Matrix Chambers and Ev 29 Ampersand Wednesday 7 March 2012 Professor Vernon Bogdanor, Research Professor at King’s College, London, Professor John Curtice, Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde, Peter Kellner, President, YouGov, and Professor Iain McLean, Official Fellow in Politics, Ev 44 Nuffield College, Oxford Wednesday 14 March 2012 Professor John Kay, visiting Professor of Economics, London School of Economics, Martin Wolf CBE, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times, Matthew Elliott, Campaign Director, NOtoAV campaign, William Norton, Referendum Agent, NOtoAV campaign, Katie Ghose, Yes to Fairer Votes campaign and Chief Executive, Electoral Reform Society, and Willie Sullivan, Scottish Director of Electoral Reform Society and head of field operations, Yes to Ev 65 Fairer Votes campaign Wednesday 21 March 2012 Owen Kelly, Chief Executive, Scottish Financial Enterprise, Iain McMillan, Director, CBI Scotland, and David Lonsdale, Assistant Director CBI Scotland, Dr Matt Qvortrup, Senior Lecturer of Comparative Politics, Centre for International Security and Resilience, Daran Hill, Managing Director, Positif Politics (yes campaign), Rachel Banner, True Wales (no campaign), John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner for Scotland, Andy O’Neill, Head of Office, Lisa Klein, Director of Party and Election Finance, and Andrew Scallan, Director of Electoral Ev 93 Administration, the Electoral Commission Wednesday 18 April 2012 Martin Boon, Head of social & government research, ICM Research, Nigel Smith, chair of the cross party campaign for a Yes vote in the 1997 Scottish Devolution referendum, Andrew Hawkins, Chairman, ComRes and Mark Diffley, Research Ev 132 Director Ipsos Mori Scotland 4 The Referendum on Separation for Scotland 2010-12 List of written evidence 1 The Electoral Commission Ev 151 1a Supplementary The Electoral Commission Ev 151 1b Further Supplementary The Electoral Commission Ev 152 2 Hugh Maguire Ev 152 3 Peter Thomson Ev 153 4 Adam Tomkins Ev 154 5 The United Reformed Church Ev 158 6 CBI Scotland Ev 158 7 Professor Michael Keating Ev 160 8 Rt Hon Michael Moore MP Ev 161 9 Further Rt Hon Michael Moore Mp, Secretary of State for Scotland Ev 162 10 John Philip McAleer Ev 162 11 Peter Kellner, President, YouGov Ev 164 12 Professor Alan page Ev 166 13 Aidan O’Neil QC Ev 168 14 John Kay Ev 174 15 Ian McLean Ev 177 16 Vernon Bogdanor Ev 179 17 John Curtice Ev 180 18 No Campaign Ltd Ev 184 19 Supplementary Iain McLean Ev 198 20 SSE Ev 200 21 True Wales Ev 201 22 Dr Matt Qvortrup Ev 204 23 Supplementary Rt Hon Michael Moore MP Ev 208 24 Nigel Smith Ev 208 25 Additional Rt Hon Michael Moore MP Ev 208 26 Robert Durward Ev 209 27 Supplementary Electoral Reform Society Ev 210 28 Ipsos MORI Ev 215 29 Ruth Stevenson Ev 217 30 Supplementary Electoral Commission Ev 219 31 Professor Denis Mollison Ev 223 32 Supplementary Nigel Smith Ev 227 cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [SO] Processed: [02-05-2012 09:11] Job: 020259 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/020259/020259_o001_MP 111102 - CORRECTED.xml Scottish Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday 2 November 2011 Members present: Mr Ian Davidson (Chair) Fiona Bruce Graeme Morrice Jim McGovern Mr Alan Reid Iain McKenzie Lindsay Roy ________________ Examination of Witnesses Witnesses: John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner for Scotland, Electoral Commission, Andy O’Neill, Head of Office, Electoral Commission, and Andrew Scallan, Director of Electoral Administration, Electoral Commission, gave evidence. Q1 Chair: May I welcome you to this meeting of the Q3 Lindsay Roy: Can you clarify how people are Scottish Affairs Select Committee with the Electoral selected to be on the Commission? Commission? We have quite a lot of questions we John McCormick: I take it you mean to be want to ask about what happened in relation to the Commissioners. We are approved by Parliament; it is joint referendum and elections, but there are also a a royal appointment endorsed by Her Majesty. We number of points we want to look at going forward. have had two new Commissioners approved by Perhaps we can speed through the earlier part of the Parliament this week. agenda more quickly to leave time for some of the other questions that might take up a little time towards Q4 Lindsay Roy: Am I right that there should be no the end. Could you start off, John, by introducing overt political connection over a period of time prior yourself and your colleagues and telling us who you to your appointment? are and what you do? John McCormick: When I was appointed to the John McCormick: Thank you very much, Chair. I am Commission three years ago I had to demonstrate my political impartiality and neutrality and was John McCormick, the Electoral Commissioner, questioned on that. We were then a six-person board Member of the UK Electoral Commission with special of the Commission. Since then, of course, as Members responsibility for matters in Scotland. My colleagues will know, we have four new Commissioners here are Andy O’Neill, who is the Head of the nominated by the political parties. The way we do our Commission’s Office in Scotland, and Andrew business ensures that in any meeting the majority of Scallan, the Director of Electoral Administration for people who are present taking decisions are those who the Commission. have been appointed as impartial Commissioners. We have patently benefited in the last 18 months from Q2 Lindsay Roy: Good afternoon, gentlemen. To having round the table members of political parties, help set the context for this session, can you tell us Members of this House and other Houses who have why the Electoral Commission was formed and what brought with them to their deliberations the specifically its roles are in relation to the experience of what it is like to be an active politician referendums? or a party administrator. That has enhanced our John McCormick: The Commission was created in understanding of the political process and made us 2000 and set up working in 2001. It had special more effective. responsibilities under the Westminster Act for referendums that are called by the Westminster Q5 Lindsay