The Governor of the Bank of England has said he “welcomes” the chance to discuss Alex Salmond’s plan to share Sterling as currency after independence.
Mark Carney said basic discussions were held between his predecessor and the First Minister.
He added: “I have not had any discussions with members of the Scottish Government.
“My predecessor did have some very basic technical discussions with Mr Salmond within the course of the last couple of years. I certainly welcome the opportunity to have those discussions.”
The Scottish Government has been “busy” writing its White Paper on independence, published this week, he said.
“There has been an effort to set up a meeting and I’m sure it will happen at some point,” he added.
Mr Carney, who was speaking at a press conference organised by the bank in London yesterday, was also asked about proposals to keep the institution as lender of last resort.
“The bigger issue is ultimately a decision for the Scottish people; they will need to make those decisions as fully informed as possible,” he said.
The Governor said he is keen to avoid answering “highly political” questions. Technical questions on these “quite serious issues” will be answered in due course, he said.
A spokesman for the First Minister said: “Scottish Government officials have already had technical discussions with their counterparts at the Bank of England to assist the Fiscal Commission with their work, including the publication of their report on a macroeconomic framework for an independent Scotland, which includes proposals for a shared sterling area.
“The First Minister met with the previous governor of the bank, Sir Mervyn King, before and after those technical discussions, and he looks forward to meeting the new governor in due course.”