House Of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The Referendum On Separation For Scotland A Defence Force For Scotland A Conspiracy Of Optimism Hc 842

The Scottish Government's White Paper must make absolutely clear the details of both its foreign and defence policies. Much of what has been suggested up to now suffers from a conspiracy of optimism. The most explicit pledges made to date include: that the whole cost of security and defence will be no more than £2.5 billion, that personnel in the armed services will total 15,000 full time and 5,000 reserve personnel, and that the defence force will include "current Scottish raised and restored UK regiments". Will we then have a defence force which is army heavy? An army which is infantry heavy? Or will historic regiments be redesignated as platoons, reserves or non-infantry units? If Faslane is to be kept at its existing workforce, how will people be retrained? What costs will be inccurred in the transition to the new Scottish Defence Force? What are the implications for procurement whether or not Scotland gets the assets it wants? Hanging over all of this is the future of Trident. Will a separate Scotland impose unilateral nuclear disarmament on the UK? Furthermore, membership for Scotland of NATO will require not only the unanimous agreement of all the existing NATO members, but also the resolution of any disputes with the UK. The Scottish Government must spell out what wages and conditions it would propose to offer to compensate those who would leave behind participation in world class armed services. The people of Scotland are entitled to expect that those who propose drastic change can explain what the consequences would be.

Government response to HC 842, session 2013-14 (ISBN 9780215064615)

The Scottish Affairs Committee calls for the repeal of the Bedroom Tax. While this is being considered, the Committee calls on the Government to suspend application of the Bedroom Tax for all those tenants to whom a reasonable alternative offer cannot be made. There are not enough smaller houses available for tenants to transfer into. The lack of any alternative offers means that tenants have no choice but to go into arrears if they simply cannot afford the extra costs. Other amendments proposed for the operation of the tax include: exemptions for those disabled people who require a room to store or use equipment or aids; non application where it would be financially perverse to do so - eg where removing fixed aids and adaptations, and then reinstalling them in a smaller home, would be more expensive than the savings over two years; all children of secondary school age should be allowed a bedroom of their own to allow quiet study; all disabled children, of whatever age, should have a bedroom of their own. The Committee also calls for changes to the system of Discretionary Housing Payments, which have been designed by the Government to mitigate the worst impacts of the Bedroom Tax. There should be a standard nationwide entitlement system, across the UK as a whole, rather than the present postcode lottery. The UK and Scottish Governments should make longer term commitments to the provision of DHP payments in order to allow local authorities to plan and structure their budgets.

This report concludes that any government which is serious about land reform needs full and clear information on existing land ownership and values made widely available. Scotland lags behind most comparable European countries in providing such data, and the Committee calls on the Scottish and UK Governments to address this as a priority. Scotland is also behind other countries in terms of the openness and ease of land transactions. Land reform is an important, neglected and intensely political area of public policy and the Committee is expanding this enquiry more widely than originally envisaged. Evidence is sought from interested parties on a number of topics including: state aid; the Scottish Government's Land Reform Review Group; community land ownership; and opaque and indirect ownership by front companies, trusts and offshore entities

The Scottish Government's plan to negate the future effects of the bedroom tax in Scotland is inadequate, and further that the route they have identified - using Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) - is flawed. The Committee has taken evidence in Scotland and Westminster on the impacts of the bedroom tax but also on the best and most effective ways of mitigating those effects. The Committee reiterates its call for the Scottish Government to meet all the bedroom tax charges for Scottish tenants, write off all the arrears, and refund all the payments that have been made, as the only fair and workable way forward.

Today Scotland's interests in the European Union are represented by the UK which, as one of the largest Member States, has the voting power and leverage to influence decisions to the benefit of Scotland. In leaving the UK, a separate Scotland would lose this advantage. A separate Scotland is likely to have its application to join the EU accepted - but not within the self-imposed timetable of 18 months, nor with the terms, that the Scottish Government is proposing. The proposal that Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union could be used to provide for Scottish membership is not supported by any other EU state; senior EU figures have ruled it out and it is opposed by the United Kingdom Government - which would, under this process, have to initiate it. The additional and exceptional demand for the ability to discriminate against UK students with respect to tuition fees would be voted against by the UK Government and is therefore almost certain not to be met. Furthermore, insufficient attention has been paid to the need to negotiate the UK's retention of VAT zero rating on a wide range of goods. As a separate Member State, not only would Scotland cease to benefit from the UK rebate (currently worth in the region of £300 million per year to Scotland) but it would have to contribute to it. In these circumstances Scottish voters need a more realistic alternative perspective of how joining the EU would be achieved, and what its likely terms and timetable would be.

This report states the six main areas of the proposed referendum where Secretary of State for Scotland Rt Hon Michael Moore has identified clarification is required: bank regulation; pension payments; the national currency; membership of international organisations; Scotland's defences; and costs of separation. The Committee asked members of the public to submit their questions on what matters need to be clarified on these very broad themes, and what additional questions need to be resolved. In addition the Daily Record launched a campaign in support of the inquiry and its readers have also submitted a series of questions. All the questions received so far are published with this report, and will form the basis of the inquiry. Many relate to specific policy areas where the answers would most likely vary according to which political party or parties formed a Government in a separate Scotland. While it is fair to raise these questions - they will be crucial to voters in determining which party they might vote for in any Scottish General Election post-separation - the Committee says the main structural and institutional issues, which will form the constitutional architecture of a post-separation Scotland, are more pressing in terms of enabling the electorate to make a choice on how they would vote in a referendum on separation. It is these questions that will be the focus for the Committee. The Committee recommends that as a matter of urgency, the Secretary of State for Scotland: takes responsibility for clarifying the UK Government's position on appropriate matters, by co-ordinating work across the Cabinet; and undertakes to work with the Committee to provide a joint provision of factual and unbiased information to the people of Scotland.

This is the third report from the Scottish Affairs Committee on blacklisting in the construction industry in Scotland. The earlier interim reports published as 9th report, session 2012-13 (HC 1071, ISBN 9780215056832) and 6th report, session 2013-14 (HC 543, ISBN 9780215069535). The 9th report focused specifically on the work of The Consulting Association (TCA) and considered the issue of compensation for those workers who had been blacklisted. Significant progress has been made in highlighting and addressing issues relating to blacklisting: the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched its own investigation; many victims of blacklisting are bringing individual case to the High Court and a new compensation scheme, the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme (TCWCS), for blacklisted workers has been launched by eight of the companies that used the services of TCA. The 6th report aimed to identify ways of moving forward, both by addressing the crimes of the past and by identifying rules and structures to prevent such widespread and systematic exclusion of workers from employment from ever happening again. In this third interim report the Committee welcomes the significant progress which has been made in both revealing the practice of blacklisting, and in seeking redress for the victims, and families of the victims, of this odious practice. The Committee will continue to explore what more could be done to redress the crimes of the past and to ensure that reform in the industry to eradicate this practice is genuine, effective and comprehensive in its effects.