The Commission on Scottish Devolution published its engagement strategy today, setting out how Members will engage with the people of Scotland and the wider UK to gather evidence.

A roadshow, which will visit towns and cities to gather evidence, will be the central element in the Commission’s engagement strategy. The roadshow will open in Stirling on 1 September and will have travelled around Scotland and parts of the UK by the end of the year.

[Note (29/08/2008) – Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Stirling event has been postponed and the roadshow will now open with an event in Glasgow. You can request to attend by clicking here.]

Sir Kenneth Calman, the Chairman, said:

“This isn’t an academic exercise. It’s an independent review, based on actual evidence – evidence that we’ll be gathering over the coming months. The engagement strategy does what it says. It outlines how we’ll be seeking out the views of everyone with an interest in the governance of Scotland.

“Over the next few months we’ll be visiting a number of towns, which will be a valuable opportunity to listen to local organisations and local people. This kicks off on 1 September in Stirling. This isn’t all - we’ll also be taking oral evidence; adding interactive elements to our website, so that people have an opportunity to participate online; and, distributing our leaflet across Scotland for those without easy access to the internet.

“Written evidence is important and we’ve already requested both general and detailed written submissions. This isn’t enough – we need to speak to people, we need to find out what really matters and how the devolution settlement can be adapted to meet those needs. The Commission takes this responsibility extremely seriously and will be actively listening to people from all over Scotland and the wider UK.

Further details can be found in the engagement strategy.