New Scottish Secretary David Mundell has held talks with senior MSPs over calls to hand extensive new powers to Holyrood.
A delegation of members of the Scottish Parliament’s devolution committee travelled to the Scotland Office in London yesterday.
Bruce Crawford, the SNP chairman of the group, said afterwards that changes would be made to the draft clauses in the legislation drawn up to implement the Smith Commission agreement on extra devolution.
The committee had published a report last week which said that the draft clauses that had been put forward by the previous UK government did not meet with “the spirit or the substance” of the Smith recommendations.
Since then, Prime Minister David Cameron has said he could consider “sensible suggestions” on what further powers could be transferred north.
Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, Mr Crawford said: “We had a constructive and helpful meeting.
“We are pleased that the Secretary of State is moving quickly with the introduction of a new Scotland Bill.”
Mr Crawford said the Scottish secretary had “signalled that he will make some amendments to the current draft clauses and that is welcome”.
But he added that the MSPs “would have liked to have seen more change before any Bill is introduced”.
Mr Mundell said: “I was glad to welcome the committee members to Dover House today. I read their report with interest after it was published last week and I listened closely to what they had to say.
“I have made my position clear: the UK Government will deliver the Smith recommendations, giving Scotland one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world.
“The Scotland Bill will be brought forward shortly and will be subject to the full parliamentary process which will allow views to be heard and debated.”