Smith Commission Proposals Welcomed

Civic institutions, unions and business organisations have welcomed many of the recommendations for further devolution to the Scottish Parliament, although concerns have been raised that they do not go far enough.

The move to devolve electoral powers to Scotland, paving the way for the voting age to be lowered, has been widely hailed, particularly by youth and student groups.

The Scottish independence referendum in September marked the first time that the vote had been extended to 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK.

Scottish Youth Parliament chair Louise Cameron said: We believe that devolving the powers to lower the voting age is a logical and sensible next step which will make votes at 16 a reality in Scottish elections and continue the high levels of engagement with young people we experienced during the referendum.''

National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland president Gordon Maloney said: Young people across Scotland campaigned for, and then proved the worth of, lowering the voting age and it's a proud moment for students, NUS Scotland and young people to see this delivered for Scottish elections.''

The union expressed concern that the new powers to be devolved could have gone further'' and called for a citizen-led constitutional convention.

Mr Maloney added: The referendum produced a huge democratic renewal in Scotland and we can't let politicians lock the people out of what happens next.''

The Scottish Trades Union congress (STUC) said the new powers were not enough to allow Holyrood to tackle inequality in Scotland.

General secretary Grahame Smith said: Whilst there are certainly positive elements in these proposals, we are underwhelmed by the package as a whole which does not meet our aspirations.

STUC continues to believe that control over employment law, equalities and minimum wages is a necessity if inequality is to be effectively challenged. We will continue to press for this.

The no detriment clause and retention of the Barnett Formula is to be welcomed but the proposals for further fiscal devolution do not go far enough.

Without the key powers over inheritance and capital gains taxes, meaningful tax and land reform will be more difficult.

The power to create additional welfare provision is certainly to be welcomed as is the devolution of the work programme.

However, in sum total, there is not enough to empower the Scottish Parliament to tackle inequality in Scotland.''

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland hailed proposals for greater parliamentary scrutiny and welcomed the new tax powers and the recommendation for improved collaboration between the Scottish and UK governments.

Chief executive Anton Colella said: We believe oversight of government and the way the Parliament works must now be transformed.

Scotland needs a new era of accountability, scrutiny and transparency to go in hand with our new financial powers.''

The institute's director of taxation Elspeth Orcharton said: The devolution of income tax rates and bands delivers an intelligent political result, balancing the vow to deliver greater control and accountability to Scotland while remaining part of the United Kingdom.''

Liz Cameron, director and chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said the new powers would help business reach its potential and hailed the decision to devolve air passenger duty.

She said: We have long called for new ways of working in Scotland to maximise business growth and today's recommendations serve as a milestone in reaching our potential.

The commission's recommendations address a number of our key asks in terms of further devolution, including air passenger duty, which must now be devolved and abolished immediately in order to deliver a much-needed boost to the Scottish aviation industry.''

Professor Philip Booth, editorial and programme director at the London-based think-tank Institute of Economic Affairs, said: The Smith proposals are a dangerous half-way house, failing to bring about the benefits that much fuller devolution would have brought to Scotland.

Scotland should be given full responsibility for all forms of welfare spending and all significant aspects of tax policy.

That way, there will be clear accountability and the Scottish Government will have the genuine freedom to experiment with welfare reform appropriate to the particular problems and opportunities it faces.

Under the Smith proposals, different levels of government will be able to continue to blame each other for economic and social problems within Scotland.''

On air passenger duty (APD), Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' parent company IAG, said: APD must be axed across the UK - not just in Scotland - to avoid a domino effect across the country.''

Travel association Abta said: Any inconsistencies between what a passenger pays flying from Scotland compared to elsewhere in the UK could create anuncompetitive and damaging situation for travel businesses.''

Fifteen year-olds from St Morris Academy in Cumbernauld were at the launch of his report: