UK harmony needs 'political will'

MPs said better relations between the parliaments required political will

Closer co-operation between Holyrood and Westminster will only be achieved if it is backed by political will, a committee of MPs has said.

The Scottish Affairs Committee report into the Calman Commission's findings said structural change alone would not result in better relations.

The call came as ministers from the UK and Scottish governments agreed a new set of rules to avoid future disputes.

The committee included MPs from Labour, Tory, the Lib Dems and the SNP.

It examined the recommendations of the Commission on Scottish Devolution led by Sir Kenneth Calman.

The recommendations we have made in our report are designed to facilitate closer cooperation, but this will only become a reality if supported by genuine political will Mohammad Sarwar MP

In particular, it considered the part of the report which related to relations between the two parliaments.

The MPs suggested that in order to improve relations, the UK government should make time for a regular "State of Scotland" debate, to include devolved matters.

They also recommended that the idea of a Scottish "super grand committee", composed of Scottish MPs, MSPs and Scottish MEPs, should be revisited.

The report said changes should be made to allow UK and Scottish parliamentary committees to work together, for example attending meetings in a non-voting capacity.

The committee said structural change alone would not facilitate change

The chairman of the committee, Labour's Mohammad Sarwar MP, said: "We warmly commend the work of the commission and agree with its key finding that mutual respect between the governments and parliaments is paramount.

"The recommendations we have made in our report are designed to facilitate closer co-operation, but this will only become a reality if supported by genuine political will.

"We urge the future Scottish Affairs Committee to continue our work to ensure this happens."

Ministers from both the UK and Scottish Parliaments have already agreed to a new set of protocols which they hope will avoid future inter-governmental disagreements.

Devolved bodies had been pressing for an independent arbiter to be put in place to resolve any disputes. However, this is yet to be agreed.