Future seat of Scottish Parliament

Dewar Mocks Critics of Devolution

He mocked those who urged No votes in the referendum, to be held in the autumn, because they were not happy with the Government's proposals.

"The challenge has been enormous. We have been trying to do in several weeks what took several years in the 1970s," Mr Dewar said.

"We were not, of course, starting with a blank sheet of paper. But the Scottish Constitutional Convention proposals needed to be developed into a detailed programme for legislation, checked by lawyers, and tested against the existing statute book.

"The proposals have also had to be debated exhaustively with Whitehall departments. Whitehall is a past master in the art of defending a departmental interest. It is after all human, and power, like money, is hard to relinquish."

He added: "Inevitably there has had to be some give and take during these negotiations.

"But throughout them we, and I speak for the Government collectively, have kept in mind our strategic objectives _ to establish a strong Parliament able to make a real difference in Scotland, and to preserve the benefits which flow from membership of the Union."

Mr Dewar said the forthcoming White Paper would spell out the Government's proposals clearly and in fine detail to inform voters.

Welsh campaigners for devolution

The Scottish Secretary also hailed a BBC opinion poll which showed that the majority of people in Scotland and Wales believe they would benefit from self-government.

In Scotland, those who saw advantages in devolution outweighed those who considered it a disadvantage by three to one. In Wales, the figure was two to one.

But it also found that a sizeable minority of Scots, 47 per cent, believe devolution will increase the cost and bureaucracy of government.

"We have improved and brought up to date some aspects of the scheme," he said. "I think it's progress, it will be seen as progress, and it will certainly be seen as a Labour government delivering on its promises."

But Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond seized on one of the finding that 71% of Scots believe a devolved parliament will be a step towards independence.

The figures came as the Tories sought to exploit reported differences within Labour ranks on the merits of devolution.

The Tory constitutional affairs spokesman Dr Liam Fox claimed that dissident Labour MPs were quietly buttonholing sympathetic Tories to pour out their fears over devolution, and that Cabinet ministers were briefing against one another.

He told Tories in East Kilbride, near Glasgow: "This is the sort of Opposition that dare not speak its name. Terrorised by the Mandelson tendency, they believe it would end their careers to be openly seen opposing the Government's plans."