London - The new Scottish Parliament could be up and running in July 1999 six months earlier than expected, under plans announced by the British government yesterday, Rachel Donnelly reports.
The legislative timetable for the new parliament initially proposed by the government would have seen Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) taking up their seats in January 2000, but in a letter to Opposition leaders, the Scottish Secretary, Mr Donald Dewar, has said he would prefer the parliament to begin work in July 1999. He will seek their views on the timing and will make a decision "shortly".
The proposal comes as a poll published in the Glasgow Herald yesterday revealed that the Scottish National Party, which advocates independence for Scotland, is five points ahead of Labour in the opinion polls. For the first time in modern polling history, the SNP has pulled ahead of Labour in Scotland, taking 41 per cent of the vote to 36 per cent for Labour.
Elections to the Scottish parliament will take place on May 6th, 1999, but Mr Dewar said he did not see the virtue in 129 MSPs waiting for six months before they could begin work.