Smith Commission

The Smith Commission was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron on 19 September 2014 in the wake of the 'No' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

The establishment of the commission was part of the process of fulfilling The Vow made by the leaders of the three main unionist parties during the last days of the referendum campaign.

Following the No vote, Lord Smith of Kelvin was given the task to "convene cross-party talks and facilitate an inclusive engagement process across Scotland to produce, by 30 November 2014, Heads of Agreement with recommendations for further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament".

[1] Ten representatives were nominated by the political parties with elected members in the Scottish Parliament; the Commission started its discussions on 22 October.

The Vow was a joint statement by the leaders of the three main unionist parties, David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, promising more powers for Scotland in the event of a No vote.

[12] Three Scottish airports (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen) proposed that Air Passenger Duty (APD) should be devolved, with a view to it being abolished in Scotland.

[17] In October 2014 the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee heard evidence that was critical of the timetable set for the Smith Commission.

Speaking after the election, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for reforms greater than that proposed by Smith, particularly in respect of taxation and welfare.

A Scottish Parliament committee report published in May 2015 said that the draft bill proposed in January 2015 did not meet the recommendations of the Smith Commission, specifically in relation to welfare payments.