I notice that you have put my screen on the floor, but I will try to look up as I give evidence. I am extremely grateful to the committee for facilitating my appearance by videolink, which was needed because I have been required in Westminster today for parliamentary business. I am accompanied by James Dowler, deputy director for constitutional policy at the Scotland Office, who has appeared before the committee previously, and by Lindsey Whyte, deputy director for devolution at Her Majesty’s Treasury.
I have said before that I regard the committee’s work in scrutinising the bill as valuable, and I reiterate that. I am pleased to give evidence as the lead minister for the bill, and I am delighted to do so with agreement having been reached between Scotland’s two Governments on a new fiscal framework for Scotland. A short time ago, I made it clear in the House of Commons that I will make a statement to it tomorrow on the fiscal framework, so that members of the United Kingdom Parliament can have the same opportunity as members of the Scottish Parliament have had to hear about the framework.
The committee will be aware that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has led on the fiscal framework negotiations for the UK Government. He committed to giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament once an agreement was reached, as it has been now. He will be able to provide the relevant committee—the Finance Committee—with more detailed technical information on the agreement.
The Scotland Bill completed its committee stage in the House of Lords yesterday and begins the report stage tomorrow. We now approach the concluding stages of the bill, and I am mindful of the further opportunities for scrutiny from both Parliaments that the coming weeks will allow and of the need for the Scottish Parliament to debate and pass a legislative consent motion.
I think that Mr Crawford will agree that the new Scottish Parliament that is elected in May will be very different from its predecessor. The new powers in the Scotland Bill will make the Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful devolved Parliaments in the world. In effect, it will be a new Scottish Parliament. Lord Smith has confirmed that the bill delivers the legislation that is required to honour the cross-party Smith agreement. I am confident that, now that we have agreed a fiscal framework that is fair and built to last, we can deliver a Scotland act that will deliver a strong Scottish Parliament within the strong United Kingdom that the people of Scotland voted for.