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New Scottish Parliament powers to be published in Bill New Scottish Parliament powers bill published
(about 3 hours later)
Prime Minister David Cameron will meet Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh later to discuss the next stage of devolving more powers to the Scottish Parliament. Proposed legislation to give new powers to the Scottish Parliament has been published by the UK government.
The visit comes as the UK government publishes draft legislation on powers it intends to transfer to Holyrood. The plans to devolve financial, tax and other powers were set out after the "No" vote in September's independence referendum.
The bill will not be enacted until after the General Election on 7 May. Prime Minister David Cameron said Westminster ministers had kept their promise to strengthen Holyrood.
The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all pledged to ensure it becomes law. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was a "significant watering down" of what had been promised.
The Scottish National Party has said the measures do not go far enough. The legislation was based on the recommendations of the Smith Commission, set up by Mr Cameron, although the Westminster bill to deliver the new powers will not be enacted until after the UK election in May.
Mr Cameron is expected to say the "command paper", which is understood to contain 44 clauses over 100 pages, proves that "the vow" of new powers made by the main pro-union parties before the referendum has been delivered ahead of schedule. Its publication came ahead of a meeting between the prime minister and Ms Sturgeon, in Edinburgh.
The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all pledged to ensure the Scotland Bill becomes law, whoever wins the election.
Mr Cameron is expected to say the proposed legislation, contained in a command paper, proves the so-called "vow" on new Holyrood powers made by the pro-Union parties ahead of the referendum has been delivered ahead of schedule.
"We said draft legislation would be published by Burns Night and here we are, three days before the celebrations start, with those clauses before us," he is expected to say."We said draft legislation would be published by Burns Night and here we are, three days before the celebrations start, with those clauses before us," he is expected to say.
Describing the new powers as "built to last", the prime minister will insist that they will make Holyrood "one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world". Describing the new powers as "built to last", the prime minister will insist they will make Holyrood "one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world".
The draft legislation is based on the recommendations of the commission set up after the referendum under Lord Smith of Kelvin which proposed that the parliament be given the power to set income tax rates and bands but not to alter the threshold above which tax is paid. The Smith Commission recommended the Scottish Parliament be given the power to set income tax rates and bands, but not to alter the threshold above which tax is paid.
The report also proposed that a proportion of VAT raised in Scotland should be assigned to Holyrood and air passenger duty should be fully devolved. It also proposed a proportion of VAT raised in Scotland should be assigned to Holyrood and air passenger duty fully devolved.
The Smith Commission recommended the devolution of a range of benefits to support older people, carers and disabled people and said the parliament should be able to create new benefits in devolved areas and make discretionary payments in any area of welfare.The Smith Commission recommended the devolution of a range of benefits to support older people, carers and disabled people and said the parliament should be able to create new benefits in devolved areas and make discretionary payments in any area of welfare.
The transfer of powers to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in Scottish parliamentary elections has already been agreed. But Ms Sturgeon said, under the proposals, the UK government will hold a veto over key devolved powers, including the ability to "abolish the bedroom tax", and called for an urgent rethink of what was on offer.
Under Lord Smith's plans, Scotland would have the power to issue licences for onshore oil and gas exploration but North Sea taxation remains reserved to Westminster. She said: "The legislation published today does not represent the views of the Scottish government, but it does represent some progress.
It is understood that during her meeting with Mr Cameron, Ms Sturgeon will raise industry calls for oil and gas levies to be lowered to cope with falling oil prices, as well as discussing the new powers. "However, too much of what the prime minister has set out imposes restrictions on the recommended devolved powers and would hand a veto to UK ministers in key areas."
Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney, who was one of the SNP's representatives on the cross-party delegations at the Smith Commission, revealed his hopes on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, The Scottish first minister said the proposals on welfare would not allow Holyrood ministers to vary Universal Credit without the permission of the UK government.
"What I said when the Smith Commission reported back in November was that the report was welcome because it devolved to the Scottish Parliament greater responsibilities and gave us greater ability to tackled some of the issues that affect the lives of people in Scotland," he said. Ms Sturgeon added: "At the same time, the power argued for by stakeholders to create new benefit entitlements in any devolved area has simply not been delivered, while the command paper makes clear that, pending devolution of disability support, the roll-out of personal independence payments and the cut to spending on disability benefits will continue.
"Did it address all the issues I wanted to have addressed? Did it give us all the powers I thought were necessary? No it didn't. "This cannot, under any interpretation, represent the meaningful progress on the devolution of the powers we need to design a social security system that meets Scotland's needs."
"What I do accept is the Smith Commission generated a set of proposals that would give the Scottish Parliament more power and more influence, and as a consequence of that we have to make sure what the Smith Commission recommended back in November is translated into practical form in the clauses today." The transfer of powers to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in Scottish parliamentary elections - another Smith recommendation - has already been agreed.
He previously said anything that "backtracks, waters down or falls short of what Lord Smith recommended would be unacceptable", adding that the people of Scotland would judge if the proposals went far enough. Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael insisted the legislation would definitely be passed after the general election, saying there would be would be "no backsliding".
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael insisted the legislation would definitely be passed after the general election. Labour MSP Iain Gray, who represented his party on the Smith Commission, said the move amounted to "home rule" and should be followed by the devolution of powers from Edinburgh to towns and cities around Scotland.
There would be "no backsliding", said the Liberal Democrat MP.
Labour MSP Iain Gray, who was a member of the Smith Commission, said the move amounted to "home rule" and should be followed by the devolution of powers from Edinburgh to towns and cities around Scotland.
He said the debate should now shift away from the constitution and focus on how the new powers could make Scotland "the fairest nation on earth".