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皇冠体育app UK and Scottish Governments have today agreed that for the Scottish Government to keep to their own referendum timetable a Section 30 Order must be approved by the February Privy Council.

Before the Privy Council can consider the Section 30 Order it must be approved by both the UK and Scottish Parliaments. Agreeing the terms of the Order in October would allow both Governments to introduce and debate the detail of the Order in their respective Parliaments and seek their approval in time for the February Privy Council.聽 皇冠体育app Scottish Government have promised to introduce a referendum Bill in 鈥渆arly 2013鈥�.

Scotland Office Minister David Mundell met with Scottish Government Minister Bruce Crawford in Edinburgh today and assured him that the UK Government is committed to working hard towards an agreement on the basis of the indicative timetable discussed at the meeting and expressed his view that agreement between the two governments by October is realistic and achievable.

Following the meeting at the Scottish Parliament, David Mundell said:

鈥淭his is a positive step forward. We kicked off this process back in January. 皇冠体育app issues have not changed in the past eight months and we really need to use the next two months to ensure we deliver a referendum that is legal, fair and decisive.聽

鈥淚 am very confident that an agreement can be struck. We all agree that a Section 30 Order is the best way to deliver a legal referendum. All the main political parties agree that a single question on independence is what they prefer.聽

鈥淲e want to make it legal for the Scottish Parliament to hold an independence referendum. That is our objective. From this starting point, and the goodwill we are bringing to the process, agreement between the two governments by October is realistic and achievable.

鈥淚 hope the First Minister will now respond positively to the Scottish Secretary鈥檚 most recent offer to discuss these matters.鈥�