Scotland’s Future, Democracy and Devolution

As an amendment to motion S4M-14252 in the name of John Swinney (Scotland’s Future, Democracy and Devolution), leave out from first “further” to end and insert “regrets that the Scottish Government's immediate reaction to the Smith Agreement was to criticise and disparage its recommendations; notes that the Smith Agreement proposes a very significant transfer of powers to the Scottish Parliament that will make it one of the most powerful sub-national legislatures in the world; considers that, in the context of rejection of independence by voters in Scotland in the 2014 referendum, the Smith Agreement and the Scotland Bill, reflecting changes to the original draft clauses, deliver on pledges to provide more powers for the Scottish Parliament; recognises that extensive constitutional change is best brought about by building a broad consensus between political parties and governments; calls on the Scottish Government to respect the result of the referendum by repeating its assurances that such a poll would be a once-in-a-generation event, and urges continuing objective and constructive scrutiny of the Scotland Bill so that where any improvements to the legislation can be identified appropriate changes can be made.”