| FOREWORD |
| By CSG
Chairman, Mr Henry McLeish MP, Scottish Office Minister
of State, responsible for Home Affairs, Devolution and
Local Government. |
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| To the
Secretary of State for Scotland, |
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| It gives me
tremendous satisfaction to present to you the Report of
the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish
Parliament. |
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| On behalf of
the members of the Group I should like to thank you for
giving us the opportunity to be involved in the challenge
of drawing up detailed proposals on how the Scottish
Parliament should operate. Our deliberations have been
wide-ranging. We have consulted widely with interested
bodies and individuals and we have been supported by
expert advice from various panels established to aid our
considerations. |
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| In all our
deliberations we have been struck by the degree of
consensus that exists. In particular, that the
establishment of the Scottish Parliament offers the
opportunity to put in place a new sort of democracy in
Scotland, closer to the Scottish people and more in tune
with Scottish needs. People in Scotland have high hopes
for their Parliament, and in developing our proposals we
have been keen to ensure that these hopes will be met. In
particular our recommendations envisage an open,
accessible Parliament; a Parliament where power is shared
with the people; where people are encouraged to
participate in the policy making process which affects
all our lives; an accountable, visible Parliament; and a
Parliament which promotes equal opportunities for all. |
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| I have been
fortunate to chair a Group which has been open in its
work and has striven throughout its deliberations to
achieve consensus. I particularly welcome the
constructive approaches taken by the representatives of
the other main political parties in Scotland. This has
allowed us to deliver a set of recommendations for a
Parliament to which Scottish people can relate and in
which they can take pride. The work of this Group has set
the tone for the future of Scottish politics. |
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| I would like
to thank the members of the Group for the enthusiasm and
commitment they have brought to this task. My thanks also
go to the Scottish Office team who formed the Secretariat
for their diligent work throughout the last 12 months. |
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| We hope that
this Report will stand as the blueprint for the manner in
which the Scottish Parliament will operate and that it
will provide a firm basis for the Standing Orders of the
Parliament. |
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| Henry
McLeish MP |
