Holyrood needs no new powers, insists Scottish Secretary

DES Browne, the Scottish Secretary, does not believe there is any need to change the devolution settlement - putting himself on a potential collision course with Wendy Alexander, who is set to be Labour's next leader in Scotland.

Mr Browne told The Scotsman that the current devolution settlement is "flexible and practical enough" to meet the needs of the Scottish people, making it clear that he does not see the need for a wholesale review of the Scotland Act or the transfer of more powers to Holyrood.

Mr Browne's approach is very different from that espoused by Ms Alexander, who will take over as the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament in the next few weeks.

Ms Alexander launched her bid for the leadership last week by announcing that everything was up for review, including the party's approach to the devolution settlement. Senior Labour sources also made it clear that she was instrumental in drawing up last week's joint statement with the Tories and the Lib Dems, which committed all three unionist parties to a debate on the future powers of the parliament.

A Labour insider said Ms Alexander believed there should be a discussion on Holyrood's powers. It is now clear, however, that Mr Browne does not share the same view.

In an interview with The Scotsman, the new Scottish Secretary said that although he would look at any proposals to change the balance of powers between Westminster and Holyrood, he believed the current devolution settlement did not need to be changed.

One specific power suggested for possible transfer to Holyrood is control over Scottish Parliament elections but, even on something as self-contained as that, Mr Browne said he would not support change.

Mr Browne said that, while there might be a debate on the Scottish Parliament's future, Labour would come to that discussion with a clear view.

He said: "We will bring to that debate - as part of our contribution to it - the view that this settlement for Scotland, which was hard fought [for] and which we delivered, has shown itself to have an innate flexibility which allows it to serve the needs of the Scottish people."

He added: "We are in a changed environment. My view is the practical needs of the Scottish people could be accommodated within this settlement."

Mr Browne was careful to say that he would listen to other arguments, but he made it clear he saw no need for any change to current arrangements.

He said there was a "logical split" to the powers exercised by Westminster and those under the control of Holyrood, particularly the control of elections.

And he added: "It's a matter at the heart of democracy and it should lie at the level that controls the constitution."

Mr Browne also dealt a blow to the aspirations of the SNP Executive, which has started negotiations with Westminster in an attempt to get Scottish ministers to lead for the UK in European fishing talks. Mr Browne said the UK government would not agree to such a change. He said: "As far as fisheries is concerned, Scotland has a voice in the fisheries negotiations annually, but they are UK negotiations. It's the United Kingdom which is a member of the European Union and Alex Salmond knows that.

"I frankly don't think there is any possibility of the UK government conceding a position which reflects a different constitutional position than the one that we have."

Mr Browne did suggest, however, that the UK government might accede to Mr Salmond's request for the joint ministerial committees to be re-started.

He said: "What we need to find are methods of dealing with issues. If the joint ministerial committee is the way of dealing with it best, that's the way we should do it."