Commission on Scottish Devolution
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The Commission on Scottish Devolution, also referred to as the Calman Commission, Scottish Parliament Commission[1] or Review[2], held its first full meeting at the Scottish Parliament on 28 April 2008[3].
The Commission was established by a motion passed by the Scottish Parliament on 6 December 2007[4]. Its terms of reference are: "To review the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 in the light of experience and to recommend any changes to the present constitutional arrangements that would enable the Scottish Parliament to better serve the people of Scotland, that would improve the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament and that would continue to secure the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom."[1]
The Commission meets at roughly monthly intervals.[5] It issued a first report on December 3rd 2008, and will issue its final report in 2009. It will report both to the Scottish Parliament and to the UK Government.
The Commission on Scottish Devolution should not be confused with the Scottish Constitutional Commission, which is an independent think-tank.
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[edit] Membership
The Commission has 15 members[6][7], including nominees of the three Unionist parties, representatives of business, trade unions, academia and community organisations.
- Sir Kenneth Calman (convener) - Chancellor of the University of Glasgow (Chairman)
- Colin Boyd- former Lord Advocate, member of the House of Lords (Labour)
- Rani Dhir MBE - Director, Drumchapel Housing Co-operative
- Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (James Selkirk) - former Scottish Office Minister, member of the House of Lords (Conservative)
- Professor Sir David Edward - retired Judge of the European Court
- Lord Elder (Murray Elder) - member of the House of Lords (Labour)
- Audrey Findlay - former Leader of Aberdeenshire Council, now Convener of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Jamie Lindsay - former Scottish Office Minister, member of the House of Lords (Conservative), Chairman, Scottish Agricultural College
- John Loughton - former Chairman, Scottish Youth Parliament
- Murdoch MacLennan - Chief Executive, Telegraph Media Group
- Shonaig Macpherson - Chair of the National Trust for Scotland and of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry
- Iain McMillan - Director, CBI Scotland
- Mona Siddiqui - Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Glasgow
- Matt Smith - Scottish Secretary, UNISON
- Jim Wallace - former Deputy First Minister and former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, member of the House of Lords (Liberal Democrat)
[edit] Task Groups
The Commission has established five task groups to assist it in its work. These meet in between meetings of the full Commission. The task groups and their chairs are as follows:
- Principles - Sir Kenneth Calman
- Functions - Professor Sir David Edward
- Engagement - Murdoch MacLennan
- Financial Accountability - Shonaig Macpherson
- Inter-Governmental Relations - Jim Wallace
[edit] Independent Expert Group
There is also an independent expert group established to advise the Commission on financial accountability. This is chaired by Professor Anton Muscatelli, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Heriot Watt University, and includes academics from Scotland, the rest of the UK and overseas.
[edit] December 2008 report
The first interim report released in December 2008[8] dealt in particular with the issue of whether fiscal responsibility should reside in Westminster or at Holyrood, deciding that the latter would be incompatible with the ideals of a United Kingdom[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b holyrood.com - The Business of Politics - Pro union devolution review launched
- ^ Glasgow University chancellor to chair Scottish parliament review - The Daily Record
- ^ Big Brother winner joins the Constitutional Commission team - Scotsman.com News
- ^ The Scottish Parliament - Official Report
- ^ [http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/pdf/PRESS-RELEASE-Calman-2nd-Meeting.pdf PRESS RELEASE COMMISSION ON SCOTTISH DEVOLUTION MEETS FOR SECOND TIME] www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk
- ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | Devolution body members announced
- ^ Members of the Commission on Scottish Devolution www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/02_12_08_calman.pdf Report in full
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7759382.stm
[edit] See also
- Constitutional Commission
- National Conversation
- Scottish Constitutional Convention
- Constitution for Scotland
- Constitution of the United Kingdom
- Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom), also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission
