THE Lib-Con Coalition's proposals for giving Scotland more powers risk constitutional instability without proper consideration of the knock-on impact for the United Kingdom as a whole, peers have warned in a report published today.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee expressed deep concern that the wider implications of The Vow had not been considered before the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats set out plans to hand over more powers to Holyrood on the back of last September's independence referendum.
The report said: "We are astonished that the UK Government do not appear to have considered the wider implications for the United Kingdom of the proposals set out in 'Scotland in the UK'. We do not consider that it is appropriate or sustainable to address the issue of additional powers for Scotland alone without also considering the knock-on consequences for the wider UK constitution."
The peers recommended that the UK Government give "urgent consideration" to the consequences of the proposed draft legislation for the UK as a whole.
"This," they insisted, "should happen before they are passed into law. We recognise the political imperatives behind these changes but piecemeal, ad hoc changes to the Scottish devolution settlement without wider consideration of their impact could well destabilise the Union as a whole in the longer term."
The all-party Smith Commission recommended, among other things, that Holyrood should have the power to set income tax rates and bands, that a share of VAT should be assigned to the Scottish Parliament, Airport Passenger Duty should be devolved as should the power to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in Scottish elections.
These powers are due to be backed in the manifestos of all three main UK parties, which signed The Vow. However, before they are implemented in the next parliament, there is likely to be widespread discussion. Already in response to them, the Conservatives have proposed English Votes for English Laws.
Following the outcome of the General Election, further constitutional reform is set to become a major bone of contention in the next parliament; particularly if the SNP holds the balance of power.
In their report, the peers called on the UK Parliament to "not simply accept these significant constitutional changes as a fait accompli but to ensure they receive the detailed scrutiny they require and any amendment that may be necessary".
Lord Lang of Monckton, the committee chairman, stressed that the recommendations of the Smith Commission had profound constitutional implications for "every part of the UK".
"However, the UK Parliament is expected to pass these proposals into law without significant amendment despite having been, in effect, excluded from the decision-making process. This is not the way to implement significant constitutional change," insisted the former Conservative Scottish Secretary.
The committee said it questioned how any process which did not consider the wider impact on the UK could describe itself as providing an "enduring settlement" as the UK Government report on the proposals is entitled.
"The UK Government and the major UK-wide political parties need urgently to devise and articulate a coherent vision for the shape and structure of the UK, without which there cannot be constitutional stability," it added.
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