NEW legislation that will transfer sweeping new powers to Holyrood has honoured the recommendations of the Smith Commission, the convenor of the cross-party talks has said.
Lord Smith of Kelvin, who was tasked by David Cameron with chairing the commission to recommend further powers for the Scottish Parliament in the wake of last year's independence referendum, said he was satisfied that the agreement he brokered had been "delivered in full" having listened to "to every word" of negotiations between the SNP, Labour, Tory, LibDem and Green delegations.
Breaking his silence as a row between the pro-union parties and the SNP over whether the Scotland Bill measures up to the commission's recommendations rumbled on, he said: "I've looked at it quite carefully. There were three things: one was taxation which I always thought was relatively straightforward in terms of delivery.
"One was welfare which is very complicated, but actually I honestly believe that's now been delivered in full. The third area is the fiscal framework... the legislation part, the bit that's gone through the House of Commons and will go through the House of Lords, I believe actually honours what we agreed."
Lord Smith, making his comments to ITV's Representing Border programme, added that the fiscal framework - new monetary arrangements between Holyrood and Westminster - was the final piece of the jigsaw.
Negotiations are ongoing, although deputy First Minister and SNP finance spokesman John Swinney has said that his party could block the Scotland Bill powers if a satisfactory deal is not offered by the Treasury.
Lord Smith, asked for his reaction to the threat, added: "Well actually unless it's a framework that works, I guess people should not be signing up to it. But there are two people negotiating on this thing. And they managed to agree on taxation, and they managed to agree to a lot of people's surprise on welfare, and in my view delivered what we said. I have every confidence they will come to an arrangement on fiscal powers, on fiscal framework".
The SNP has consistently argued that the Scotland Bill does not measure up to the Smith Commission recommendations, a position that was backed up by a Holyrood committee on Thursday. However, Scotland Secretary David Mundell has said recent amendments, passed at Westminster, "put beyond doubt" that Smith has been delivered.
In a letter to Mr Mundell, the convenor of Holyrood's Devolution (Further Powers) committee Bruce Crawford said that there was a "clear breach" between the Smith report and amended Scotland Bill in relation to employment provisions, while concern was also raised that there was no measure set out stipulating that MSPs must agree to Holyrood's abolition, if it is to ever go ahead.
Mr Crawford also expressed disappointment that the committee's previous recommendations around the Crown Estate and re-examining the definition of disability had not been heeded.
Alex Johnstone, the sole Conservative on the committee, refused to back the position saying: "I believe the Scotland Bill delivers the Smith Agreement in full and strongly disagree with contents of this letter."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: “The Smith Agreement set out a plan to make the Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful of its kind in the world.
“Lord Smith has now made it quite clear the Scotland Bill delivers that plan in full.
“This welcome intervention puts beyond doubt that the promises we made before the referendum have been kept.”
“Now we’ve had this intervention, it’s time for the SNP to accept that we have been good to our word and delivered the powers we all signed up to.
“And once they’ve done that, it’s vital we all move on from an endless debate about process to a real debate about how we use these powers, and make Scotland a better, fairer and more prosperous nation.”
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