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Inter-governmental dispute resolution protocol agreed
10/03/2010
A 'major step forward' for Scotland through further improvements to inter-governmental relationships in the United Kingdom was welcomed today by First Minister Alex Salmond and External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop
The Ministers spoke after a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (Domestic) in London, where a Protocol for Avoidance and Resolution of Disputes and a revised Memorandum of Understanding were agreed by the JMC member administrations - The Scottish Government, UK Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Speaking after the meeting, First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"Scotland now has a far stronger platform on which to argue its case and advance its interests.
"Since I become First Minister in 2007, I have been determined to advance Scotland's interests in every way possible, including within the current constitutional arrangements. I am committed to constructive and positive inter-governmental relations with the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland. That is why I have been determined to re-establish and drive forward the Joint Ministerial Committee and improve the arrangements we inherited.
"The agreement today of a revised Memorandum of Understanding, the first since 2001, is a major step forward, and comes on top of very welcome further progress yesterday in devolving police and justice in Northern Ireland.
"We have also reached agreement on a protocol by which our governments can discuss differences and resolve disputes. I said earlier this year that it was crucial for us to make that change, and in particular to ensure that it extends to financial issues. Today's agreement is an important step forward in ensuring that Scotland's interests are effectively represented and pursued.
"We will always work to advance Scotland's constitutional position, both while we remain part of the United Kingdom and as we work towards our goal of completing the powers of the Scottish Parliament in an independent Scotland."
External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop added:
"The Scottish Government has worked constantly and consistently to advance Scotland's interests in a determined and constructive way. Today's agreements shows the progress the have made. The dispute resolution process we have secured is based on the principle that it should be fair, accessible, informed and responsive.
"There is more to do and we also agreed today further work to examine the Statement of Funding Policy and how we can bring independent analysis to bear in order to help us resolve disputes where these arise.
"Today's agreements show what can be achieved when Ministers from all four governments work together."
The revised Memorandum of Understanding is being ratified within each administration and will be published shortly.
Giving evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on Tuesday 12 January, the First Minister commented on the need for improvements to the existing arrangements, saying "I hope [...] the changes, particularly in dispute resolution, will be agreed" and added, "crucially, the addition of dispute resolution aspects which explicitly extend to financial issues [...] is, to me, a very important improvement and change."
The text of the joint communiqué from today's JMC(D) meeting is as follows:
Ministers agree to further strengthen devolution
Peter Hain and Paul Goggins, Ann McKechin and Wayne David; Carwyn Jones and Ieuan Wyn Jones; Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness; Alex Salmond and Fiona Hyslop; today announced further progress to strengthen devolution.
Ministers agree a revised and updated Memorandum of Understanding underpinning devolution.
The Ministers also agreed a protocol setting out how the four administrations will seek to firstly avoid disputes and where this proves impossible how they will be resolved. They agreed that the process should be fair, accessible, informed and responsive. They also committed to further work to improve the process.
The Ministers agreed that it would be in the spirit of this new approach to make public these decisions. The new protocol is being published today and is now in operation, subject to the usual process for ratification within each administration.
The meeting also held a useful discussion about meeting the challenges of the downturn through integrating employment and skills support and agreed that in recognition of the particular relevance and timeliness of this issue a follow-up discussion between the relevant Ministers of the four administrations should take place shortly.
This was the third meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee Domestic, between HM Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The meeting took place in London. It was chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales and participants were the following: from HM Government the Minister for Further Education, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Scotland and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales; from the Scottish Government the First Minister and Minister for External Affairs and Culture; from the Northern Ireland Executive the First Minister and deputy First Minister; and from the Welsh Assembly Government the First and Deputy First Ministers.