Devolution committee calls for transparency commitment

Holyrood’s devolution committee has called on the UK government to include a commitment to transparency and accountability in the Scotland Bill.

In a new report published today, MSPs said a requirement for the UK and Scottish governments to work together transparently should be enshrined in law in order to protect “the interests of the Scottish Parliament”.

It also said Holyrood should play a greater role in scrutinising inter-governmental relations.

In addition, the committee said the fiscal framework of the new devolution settlement must be “subject to parliamentary scrutiny before any Legislative Consent Memorandum can be considered”.

Bruce Crawford, convener of the devolution committee said: “The Smith Commission, in its final report, called for the Scottish and UK governments to work together to create a more productive, robust, visible and transparent relationship.

“Our committee’s view is that the last of these principles - transparency along with the principle of accountability is vital.

“Despite the importance of intergovernmental arrangements, the has not been, to date, as involved as it could be in scrutinising how the Scottish government deals with other governments in the UK and how best it is held accountable for this.

“Our international research shows that whilst inter-governmental relations in federal and quasi-federal systems also tend to be executive-dominated, in almost all the countries examined by the Committee, the role of parliaments in scrutinising IGR is greater than the role the UK’s parliaments currently fulfil in the scrutiny of IGR in the UK.

“To help improve this situation, our committee has set out a series of recommendations, including writing the principles of transparency and accountability into the Scotland Bill.

“Furthermore, we expect our recommendations are taken into account in the on-going discussions and negotiations currently taking place between the Scottish and UK governments.”