To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the (a) strategic and (b) economic interests which require the maintenance of the union between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [35992]

The Union between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom has provided political and financial stability for nearly 300 years. It has been the cornerstone of the prosperity enjoyed by all the peoples of the United Kingdom. The creation of a tax-raising Scottish Parliament as proposed by Opposition parties would threaten the existence of the Union and the benefits of partnership would be lost.