Readers’ questions answered

IF there is a Yes vote, will Scotland be able to take part in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics? – Vera Oliver.

The Scottish Government says that Scotland currently fulfils all the necessary criteria to have its own Olympic and Paralympic committees – apar t from being an independent country.

They say that Scotland will compete at the Rio games under the Saltire if there is a Yes vote in September.

However others have suggested that this is unlikely. Olympic legend Sir Matthew Pinsent, currently commentat ing on the Commonwealth Games for the BBC, has dubbed the SNP timescale “completely unrealistic”.

He pointed out that even under the SNP’s own plans Scotland would not be independent until the spring of 2016 – just a few months before the Rio Games begin.

He claims there would be too much red tape to deal with and that there would be questions over how Scottish athletes would qualify. One example is that rowers like him have to qualify via the 2015 World Championships at which Scotland would not be able to compete because it wouldn’t be independent at that time. WHAT will happen to pensioners’ winter fuel allowance if we go independent? – Jim Wilkie.

The White Paper says in an independent Scotland benefits will continue to be paid as they are now.

The Scottish Government says Scotland and the rest of the UK would share a benefits system for an interim period but Westminster has queried this.

Inevitably, Scotland is colder than other parts of the UK meaning winter fuel allowance payments they would make up a larger proportion of Scotland’s social security bill than they do in the whole of the UK.

Gordon Brown has suggested a Yes vote could put continuation of benefits like winter fuel allowance in doubt, though his own party looks set to include a promise to start means testing it, meaning only the poorest would receive the benefit, in their manifesto.