The Commission on Scottish Devolution: Devolution: Scottish on Commission The A Summary of the Evidence the of Summary A The Commission on Scottish Devolution: A Summary of the Evidence June 2009 Commission on Scottish Devolution Secretariat 1 Melville Crescent Edinburgh EH3 7HW Tel: (020) 7270 6759 or (0131) 244 9073 Email: [email protected] This Report is also available online at: www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk 2009 June © Produced by the Commission on Scottish Devolution 75% Printed on paper consisting of 75% recycled waste Contents Foreword by the Commission Chairman (Sir Kenneth Calman) iii Part 1: Oral evidence List of public and private oral evidence sessions 5 Summary of key points (phase 1, up to publication of First Report) 9 Summary of key points (phase 2, since publication of First Report) 30 Part 2: Written submissions List of those who made written submissions 41 Summary of key points (phase 1, up to publication of First Report) 46 Summary of key points (phase 2, since publication of First Report) 107 Part 3: Local engagement events Glasgow – 10 September 2008 141 Dumfries – 25 September 2008 143 Inverness – 28 October 2008 145 Grove Academy, Dundee – 29 October 2008 146 Dundee – 29 October 2008 148 Stornoway – 31 October 2008 150 Ayr – 12 November 2008 152 Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 19 November 2008 154 Stirling – 6 March 2009 156 Aberdeen – 12 March 2009 158 Lerwick – 30 March 2009 159 Kirkwall – 30 March 2009 161 Part 4: Questionnaire results Background note and headline results 163 Full results (including selection of comments) 164 Part 5: Other sources Independent Expert Group reports to the Commission 171 List of published sources 177 i ii Foreword Throughout the Commission’s work, it has been a key principle for us to take an evidence- based approach and to engage as widely as possible with the people of Scotland. Part 1-B of our Final Report explains in detail how we went about this, and you will also find many references in the rest of the Report to the evidence we received on specific points. This volume, which we are publishing alongside our Final Report, provides a summary and overview of the entire evidence-base that we built up during the course of our work. Separate Parts cover the oral evidence we took, the written submissions we received, the local engagement events we organised, and the results from our questionnaire. At the end, we list some of the other sources of advice and information on which we have drawn. I hope you find this a useful reference source to supplement the Commission’s Final Report and to provide background and context for our conclusions. Kenneth Calman Chairman of the Commission June 2009 Note: This document presents a summary of evidence that is available in full on the Commission’s website (www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk), including: • transcripts of public oral evidence on the Oral Evidence page: http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/engage/oral-evidence.php • notes of private oral evidence on the Papers page: http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/ papers.php • written submissions on the Submissions Received page: http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/engage/submissions-received.php • notes of feedback from local engagement events on the Local Events page: http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/engage/events.php • questionnaire results (including comments) on the Questionnaire Results page: http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/engage/questionnaire.php. iii iv Part 1 Oral evidence | June 2009 Part 1: Oral evidence In this Part, we provide a summary of the main points made in the Commission’s oral evidence sessions – both public sessions (from substantially verbatim transcripts) and from private sessions (from agreed notes). The selection of points included is necessarily subjective to some extent. Direct quotations are verbatim, but it should be borne in mind that selective quotation out of a wider context may inadvertently alter meaning. Other points are paraphrased in terms that aim to preserve the general meaning of points made. List of oral evidence sessions (A) Public evidence sessions 12 September 2008 – Scottish Parliament 6 October 2008 – Scottish Parliament Institute of Chartered Accountants Royal Environmental Health Institute in Scotland of Scotland Henry McLeish CBI Scotland Scottish Funding Council 19 September 2008 – Scottish Parliament Scotland’s Colleges National Farmers Union Scotland Heritage and Culture (Scottish Arts 10 October 2008 – Scottish Parliament Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Trades Union Congress Scottish Screen) Church of Scotland 26 September 2008 – Scottish Parliament Scottish Environment Link Scottish Council Foundation Sustainable Development Commission: Scotland Graeme Pearson Scottish Fishermen’s Federation Society of Local Authority Chief Executives 13 October 2008 – Scottish Parliament Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland Veterans Scotland Equalities and Human Rights 1 October 2008 – Lothian Chambers Commission Jack McConnell MSP Consumer Focus Scotland Royal Society of Edinburgh Institute of Directors Scotland 5 The Commission on Scottish Devolution: A Summary of the Evidence | June 2009 14 October 2008 – Scottish Parliament 20 March 2009 – Scottish Parliament Chartered Institute of Public Finance Audit Scotland and Accountancy British Veterinary Association Oil and Gas UK Scottish Federation of Housing Scottish Tourism Forum Associations Scottish Council for Development and Administrative Justice and Tribunals Industry Council Scottish Committee General Teaching Council Scottish Trades Union Congress 22 October 2008 – City Chambers, 3 April 2009 – Scottish Parliament High Street, Edinburgh Journalists and editors: Law Society of Scotland Magnus Linklater (The Times) Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Iain Macwhirter (The Sunday Organisations, Scotland Herald) Alan Cochrane (The Daily 5 November 2008 – Houses of Parliament Telegraph) Health Protection Agency Eddie Barnes (Scotland on Sunday) Food Standards Agency John McLellan (The Scotsman) Office of Communications (Ofcom) David Dinsmore (The Scottish Sun) 18 November 2008 – Houses of Parliament Consumer Focus UNISON Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Federation of Small Businesses Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations 20 February 2009 – Scottish Parliament Health and Safety Executive Law Society of Scotland Scottish Agricultural College Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3) BBC Reform Scotland Elspeth Attwooll MEP College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh 6 Part 1 Oral evidence | June 2009 (B) Private evidence sessions 8 July 2008 31 October 2008 Rt Hon George Reid Professor Russel Griggs (former Presiding Officer of the (Chair of Regulatory Review Group) Scottish Parliament) 18 November 2008 15 July 2008 Sir Jon Shortridge Lord Sewel (former Permanent Secretary, (former Scottish Office minister, Welsh Assembly Government) Chairman of House of Lords Office of Fair Trading European Union Committee, Sub-Committee D) Lord Grenfell (Chairman of House of Lords Alan Trench (Edinburgh University) European Union Committee) David Cairns MP 9 September 2008 (former Scotland Office minister) Ross Finnie MSP (former Scottish Executive 10 March 2009 Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment) David Crawley (former Head of the Scotland Office) Dr Sir Iain Anderson (chair of “lessons learned” inquiries into foot-and-mouth disease) 11 March 2009 Baroness (Joyce) Quin 19 September 2008 (former MEP, MP and UK Government minister) Sir David Steel (Lord Steel of Aikwood, former Presiding Officer of the Scottish 16 March 2009 Parliament) Lord (George) Foulkes of Cumnock MSP (former MP and UK 3 October 2008 Government minister) Sir Muir Russell Professor Vernon Bogdanor (former Permanent Secretary, (University of Oxford) Scottish Executive) 18 March 2009 15 October 2008 Lord (Philip) Norton of Louth Professor Francois Vaillancourt (former Chairman of the House of (University of Montreal and Lords Constitution Committee and consultant to the World Bank) Professor of Governance, University of Hull) Alan Morris (Chairman, Australian Commonwealth Grants Commission) 26 March 2009 Michael Aron (former head of Scottish Executive EU office) 7 The Commission on Scottish Devolution: A Summary of the Evidence | June 2009 31 March 2009 22 April 2009 Members of the Scottish Parliament: Members of Parliament: Wendy Alexander MSP Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP Richard Baker MSP Russell Brown MP Helen Eadie MSP Rt Hon Des Browne MP Annabel Goldie MSP Rt Hon Tom Clarke MP Robin Harper MSP Michael Connarty MP David McLetchie MSP Ian Davidson MP Wolfgang Moessinger David Mundell MP (German Consul General) Lindsay Roy MP Professor Joxerramon Bengoetxea Jim Sheridan MP (University of the Basque Country) 13 May 2009 3 April 2009 Members of Parliament Struan Stevenson MEP (follow-up session): Rt Hon Des Browne MP 15 April 2009 Lindsay Roy MP Professor Richard Simeon (University of Toronto) 16 April 2009 Sir George Mathewson (Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers), Jim McColl OBE and Professor Andrew Hughes Hallett (members of the Council) 8 Part 1 Oral evidence | June 2009 Summary of key points (phase 1, up to publication of First Report) The structure of this summary follows the Commission’s remit and its task group structure, and is similar to the structure of the phase 1 summary of written evidence to allow for easy cross-reference. A: Principles