Sending every home in Scotland a copy of the independence White Paper would be a waste of money, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael has said,
Sending every home in Scotland a copy of the independence White Paper would be a waste of money, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael has said,
Reports earlier this month suggested every household in the country could receive a version of the document, due to be published next week.
But Mr Carmichael suggested that a mass mail out would be an "inappropriate" use of public money.
The Liberal Democrat minister also warned it could look like the SNP was using government resources to pursue a political campaign.
Appearing in front of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Mr Carmichael told MPs he wanted to raise a "note of mild concern at the possibility of a mail shot being sent to every house in Scotland to publicise the content of the White Paper."
The document was "aimed at a particular case," he said,
"It is making the case for Scottish independence and it does look a little as if that might be using the resources of government for pursuing a political campaign."
He added that the UK Government had no plans to send a similar mailshot making the case for the United Kingdom to all Scottish households.
The Scottish Government said it would ensure that Scots were as "well informed as possible" about the contents of the White Paper.
A spokesman said: "The White Paper is a landmark publication on our country's future. Details of any public information activity around the White Paper will be announced in due course. However, it should be noted that there is clear precedent for such activity, such as the public information campaign around the 1997 White Paper that led to the referendum which re-established the Scottish Parliament."
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