Amber Rudd
Main Page: Amber Rudd (Independent - Hastings and Rye)Department Debates - View all Amber Rudd's debates with the Scotland Office
(12 years, 7 months ago)
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Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
4. What assessment his Department has made of the responses to its consultation on the proposed referendum on independence for Scotland.
Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con)
8. What assessment his Department has made of the responses to its consultation on the proposed referendum on independence for Scotland.
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Michael Moore)
The Government published their response on 4 April. The responses to the consultation gave strong endorsement to a referendum involving a single, clear question on independence, overseen by the Electoral Commission, using the same franchise as that used to elect the Members of the Scottish Parliament, and held sooner rather than later.
Michael Moore
This is a fundamentally important decision, the most important that we as Scots will make in our lifetimes, and the longer it is delayed, the greater the uncertainty will be. The sooner we can get on with resolving the process and the question, the better.
Amber Rudd
Do the responses of the consultation reflect my view that there should be a simple “yes or no” question in any referendum if we are to secure a decisive outcome for Scotland?
Michael Moore
My hon. Friend is entirely right. We must not muddle the issue of independence with a separate debate on the future of devolution. Today we mark another important milestone in the development of the Scotland Bill. What we want after its enactment—assuming that we receive their lordships’ support—is a clear decision on the future of our country, and for it to stay in the United Kingdom.