Fast Track Timetable For Devolution
The Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar has made it clear the Labour Government's devolution plans are on a fast track.
He and Welsh Secretary Ron Davies want to set up a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly as soon as possible.
MPs will have their first change to debate the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Bill next week, when it goes for its Second Reading in the Commons. A day and a half's debate has been allocated for Wednesday and Thursday.
The Liberal Democrats, the Tories and the Scottish and Welsh nationalists are all likely to oppose the Bill. But Labour's huge majority will see it safely through to its next parliamentary stages.
The remaining stages of what will be a short five clause Bill will also be taken on the floor of the House after the Whitsun break at the end of May.
Royal Assent is expected around the third week in July.
The White Paper setting out the Government's detailed proposals for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly will be published as soon as possible after the Referendum Bill receives Royal Assent, almost certainly before the end of July.
This will give the people of Scotland and Wales the chance to see what they will be voting for in the referendum. The debate and the campaigning will go on through August.
The referendums for Scotland and Wales will be staggered. The Scottish two-question referendum will be held on the second or third Thursday in September.
The Welsh referendum will be held a week or two later probably Thursday September 25.
Depending on the results of the referendums, the Scotland Bill and the Wales Bill to establish the Edinburgh Parliament and the Cardiff Senedd will be introduced to the Commons at the start of the parliamentary session in November.
The Bills are expected to complete their rather lengthier and more complicated parliamentary stages and receive Royal Assent by July 1998.
The remaining part of the year will be used to set up the Parliament and the Senedd with the first elections to be held in May 1999, with both to be officially opened and have their first sittings at the end of May or early June 1999.
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