Benefits for pensioners are among the powers that could be transferred to Holyrood, a former Liberal Democrat minister said yesterday.

Ross Finnie said that a cross-party body looking at the constitution should consider the issue.

The former environment minister said there needed to be closer integration between benefits and "healthcare, care to elderly and provision to the unwell.

"It's perfectly proper for a Scottish Parliament to decide exactly how it delivers that level of care".

Mr Finnie was speaking in a BBC debate as Holyrood and Westminster leaders agreed to disagree over whether full control of elections north of the border should be passed over.

Secretary of State for Scotland Des Browne said: "I remain unpersuaded of the need to change the decision made by the UK Parliament in 1999 that the legislation governing elections to the Scottish Parliament should be reserved to Westminster.

"Once the Scotland Office's current consultation is concluded, we will continue to work with the Scottish Executive towards securing an electoral system in Scotland which voters can trust and in which their votes and voices will be heard."

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "There is still hope he the Secretary of State might be persuaded by the weight of parliamentary and public opinion, although he is not at this stage convinced by the Scottish Parliament's recent resolution.

"However, he did stress that he has still to make up his mind. The case, of course, is strong - any self-respecting parliament should be able to run its own elections."

Scottish Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Robert Brown said: "It is very disappointing that the UK Government appears to be rejecting the case for devolving responsibility for Scottish Parliament elections to Holyrood."