In the second of our videos on the nine consultation questions, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change Stewart Stevenson introduces Question 2:

What are your views on the proposed timetable and voting arrangements?

There is just seven days remaining to have your say on the referendum consultation. Starting today, we are running a series of videos where Ministers give more detail on each of the nine questions.

First off, the Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison talks about Question 1:

What are your views on the referendum question and the design of the ballot paper?

The Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation only has a few weeks to run.  We have seen a fantastic response from the people of Scotland with over 15,000 contributions so far.

As well as individuals we’ve also had responses from many organisations including the Electoral Commission, STUC and Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI) and we will listen to each and every voice.

I was pleased to see that the STUC have said this week that they are “absolutely comfortable” with the timetable the Scottish Government have set out to hold the independence referendum and the inclusion of a second question.

The Scottish Government’s policy is independence, and the straightforward, fair question on independence is the one we have outlined in the consultation paper.  At the same time, we recognise that there is support across Scotland – from individuals and organisations – for increased responsibilities for the Scottish Parliament short of independence.

The Children’s Commissioner Tam Baillie has asked the question in the latest Times Educational Supplement “why shouldn’t 16 and 17 year olds have their voice heard at the ballot box?”.  It is clear he thinks they should and says “it’s about promoting young people’s participation in political processes, and increasing the legitimacy of our democratic institutions”.

But what’s your view?  By responding to the consultation you get your chance to have your say on issues and more.

I want to encourage even more people to make their views know about how the referendum should be run.  The consultation runs until May 11, 2012 and I urge everyone to take part and put forward their views on Scotland’s historic independence referendum.

Cabinet Secretary for Government Strategy and Parliamentary Business, Bruce Crawford

Scottish universities are known across the globe for their excellence and have a proud tradition of attracting students from home and abroad. Today, the fact that we have more universities in the global premier league per head of population than any other nation on earth shows our higher education system remains a source a national pride.

We want to build on this success and heritage and we need to continue to ensure our universities and education policies for higher education are relevant and understood around Europe and beyond. That’s why I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to lead the first ever Scottish delegation to a key HE summit later this week.

The Bologna process conference is a useful forum for the education leaders of 47 countries to discuss and agree shared European priorities for higher education for the next three years. It is particularly fitting that, in 2012 as the debate on our constitutional future gathers pace, Scotland will have a say in and an influence on the future direction of European higher education.

In Scotland, we have taken decisive action to ensure that access to university is based on the ability to learn and provided significant investment in the sector to back this up. Visual evidence of this is provided by a map produced by the European Students’ Union in advance of the conference, which shows Scotland is one of only three countries where investment in higher education has increased since the financial crisis.

 Of course, as well as speaking about what we’ve already delivered I will also be taking the opportunity to highlight our important work to reform post-16 education in Scotland. This will include updating colleagues on our plans to simplify the learner journey and widen access to our universities. I understand some of the areas for discussion are likely to touch on aspects of policy where our work will be particularly relevant.

I am particularly proud because I believe our first delegation to this conference highlights the fact that Scotland’s voice is growing louder internationally. I believe this can only increase in the run up to our referendum on independence and that’s why I’d encourage everyone with an interest in Scottish education to have their say in our consultation at Your Scotland, Your referendum.

Education Secretary Michael Russell

Minister for Children Aileen Campbell explains why she’d encourage all those who care about the future of our children to have their say in the referendum consultation.

A summary of the consultation paper and the consultation questions is available to watch in British Sign Language.

The videos are embedded below. If for some reason you cannot view them here, use the links underneath.

Summary of Your Scotland, Your Referendum

View Summary on Vimeo

Consultation Questions

View Questions on Vimeo

Just back from Scotland Week in North America, where I was promoting Scotland as a highly creative nation, a fantastic tourism destination and a superb investment location, with business meetings and engagements in New York, San Francisco, Vancouver and Chicago.

Presenting Hon. Ida Chong, British Columbia's Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, with reproductions of two historic letters held in the National Records of Scotland. The letters are by Walter Colquhoun Grant, the first Scot independent of the Hudson's Bay Company to settle on Vancouver Island.

While in Chicago I was delighted to announce that a leading cloud computing company had chosen Edinburgh for its European base. enStratus plans to create up to 30 highly-skilled jobs here by the end of 2014.

Scotland is globally renowned for innovation, enterprise and technology, as well as our world-class talent, stunning scenery, rich cultural heritage, and as a competitive business location. With greater economic powers we could do so much more.

While in Vancouver I met with British Columbia’s Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, Ida Chong.

Like Scotland, British Columbia is internationally renowned as a world-leading centre for creative industries. It is home to 45 per cent of the 300 interactive games companies in Canada and has one of top video game clusters in the world. This is largely because of the tax breaks on offer.

We have a remarkable computer gaming sector in Scotland and this Government very much wants to see the sector succeed even further. British Columbia’s achievements shows what can be achieved. Imagine what we could do in Scotland!

With economic powers of independence, Scotland would gain control of the fiscal levers we need to suit our own circumstances. We could offer a competitive tax regime to creative industries that would create more jobs, and enhance our reputation for creativity and innovation.

That’s another good reason for having your say on our referendum consultation at https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/scotreferendum.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop

Since the launch of the Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation which was a historic occasion at Edinburgh Castle, attended by media from around the globe, we have seen a fantastic response from the people of Scotland with over 10,000 contributions so far.

As well as individuals we’ve also had responses from many organisations including the Electoral Commission, STUC and Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI) and we will listen to each and every voice.

By responding to the consultation you get your chance to have your say on issues such as the referendum question, votes for 16 and 17 year olds and the possible inclusion of a second question. The management of the referendum process, the role of the Electoral Commission and ideas to increase turnout are also raised in the consultation, as are the proposed spending limits.

But I want to encourage even more people to make their views know about how the referendum should be run.  The consultation runs until May 11, 2012 and I would urge everyone to take part and put forward their views on Scotland’s historic independence referendum.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell

The ninth and last question in the Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation is “Do you have any other comments about the proposals in the draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill?”

In the previous eight questions you get your chance to have your say on issues such as the referendum question, votes for 16 and 17 year olds and the possible inclusion of a second question. The management of the referendum process, the role of the Electoral Commission and ideas to increase turnout are also raised in the consultation, as are the proposed spending limits.

The last question is a bit of a catch all “anything else?” query – but is your chance to put forward any other points you wish to make not covered elsewhere in the referendum consultation questions.

As you see question nine refers to the draft referendum Bill. As the referendum timetable shows this will be finalised during the autumn and winter of 2012 and introduced to the Scottish Parliament in early 2013.  After parliamentary consideration, including committee consideration and public evidence sessions in early to mid 2013, we expect it to be passed in October 2013 and then go forward for Royal Assent.  You can see the draft Referendum Bill in section 7 of Your Scotland, Your Referendum.

So if you have any additional issues you wish to raise your answer is question nine is the place to do them. You can answer question nine and the rest of the consultation by going to https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/scotreferendum

Cabinet Secretary for Government Strategy and Parliamentary Business, Bruce Crawford