ALEX Salmond has demanded David Cameron provides details of his promise to consider more powers for Scotland if voters reject independence in the 2014 referendum.

The Prime Minister made the offer in a speech to business leaders and the media preceding face-to-face talks with the First Minister at Scottish Government headquarters in Edinburgh yesterday.

Following the discussions, Mr Cameron said they had made little progress.

Mr Salmond claimed the "only really substantive point" of disagreement was over their different positions on whether there should be one or two questions on the ballot paper.

In his first major intervention in the referendum debate, Mr Cameron said a rejection of independence would not be "the end of the road".

He said: "When the referendum on independence is over, I am open to looking at how the devolved settlement can be improved further. And, yes, that does mean considering what further powers could be devolved.

"But that must be a question for after the referendum, when Scotland has made its choice about the fundamental question of independence or for the United Kingdom, when Scotland has settled this question once and for all and ended the uncertainty that could damage and hold back Scotland's prospects and potential."

Mr Salmond said it was the first time that Mr Cameron had put another option on the table.

He added: "What I said to the Prime Minister in the discussions is if that is the case, we now have to know what it will be."

Mr Salmond said: "We've been through this before in Scottish politics," recalling that in the run-up to the 1979 referendum, former prime minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home said a Tory government would introduce a better Scottish Assembly.

He added: "What happened then was 17, 18 years of no deal at all from the Conservative government at Westminster. The shadow of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, I think, is cast very large over this.

"What's the old saying 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me'. Scotland, I don't believe, will be fooled twice. If the Prime Minister has an offer to make to the people of Scotland then he should make it now.

"He should spell it out now so we can have a clear debate and a clear decision on the alternative futures for Scotland. Where's the beef?" he asked.

Mr Salmond also insisted that the main "stumbling block" on the process of staging the referendum hinged on whether there should be one or two questions put to voters and that his "strong impression" was that it was "the only real point of non- closeable agreement".

The UK Government wants Scots to be given a straight choice between independence and staying in the United Kingdom, when the poll is

held in the autumn of 2014. However, Mr Salmond is considering giving voters the additional option of backing further powers for Holyrood if there is sufficient demand for it in the current public consultation.

Mr Cameron said voters should be given a "simple" question over whether they want to remain in the UK or not as soon as possible.

He said his discussions with Mr Salmond were "constructive", but added: "On the issue of independence, separating Scotland, leaving the United Kingdom, I am afraid there wasn't much progress.

"I believe that we need to put a straightforward and simple and legal question to the Scottish people in good time, which is to ask the straightforward question 'do you want to stay in the United Kingdom', and I hope that is what people will vote for, or 'do you want to leave the United Kingdom?'

"The choice is separation on the one hand or a United Kingdom and further options for devolution on the other. I think you would be completely wrong to have mixed questions on the ballot paper."

But he added: "For heaven's sake, I think for the sake of the Scottish people and for all our sanity, let's get on and hold this question, hold this debate. Do we really have to wait two and a half years?"