The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Government to act ‘within 90 days’ on Citizens’ Assembly recommendations
‘Action plan’ will be made, remit says
The Scottish Government will be committed to acting within 90 days of the new Citizens’ Assembly making its recommendations, it has been announced.
A remit for the assembly was published yesterday ahead of the first meeting of the group, to be held over the weekend of October 26.
It will be made up of 130 members of the public, broadly representative of the population, selected at random from across Scotland who will be asked to consider a number of questions relating to the future of the country.
The assembly, which will meet over six weekends until April 2020, will have independence from government and be able to decide its own agenda and which challenges it wishes to consider.
In the document published by the government outlining the remit and terms of reference, titled “The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland – Scotland’s Constitutional Future”, it also states that the assembly will “examine the current constitutional arrangements” and consider the options for “constitutional reform” in order to overcome challenges brought by Brexit.
It also indicates that the report, which will ultimately be produced by the assembly, must provide recommendations that are “relevant to the remit, based on evidence heard by the assembly and capable of being put into practice”.
The report would then be put before the Scottish Parliament for scrutiny and debate before ministers publish a plan setting out how the recommendations will be taken forward.
Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell said: “This remit creates the framework within which the assembly will operate and provides a new way for Scotland’s future to be debated in an impartial, open way, free from political interference and vested interests. I hope that, in turn, sparks a wider national conversation.
“But it shouldn’t stop there. It is important that assembly members know the government and the Parliament are listening and that the assembly’s recommendations also inform our policy decisions. The remit spells out how this will happen, ensuring a central role for Parliament and committing government to action within 90 days of the assembly submitting its report.”
Tory MSP Adam Tomkins claimed the Citizens’ Assembly would only be used to discuss Scottish independence.