Alex Salmond has unveiled the questions he wants to be asked in a referendum on Scottish Independence.

The First Minister published his draft Referendum Bill on Thursday, launching a consultation on the exact form of an independence ballot.

The proposals would see voters answer two questions. The first would ask whether the Scottish parliament should be granted more devolved responsibility, the second, whether there should be an additional extension of power to enable Scotland to become an independent country.

The Scottish Government has published the Bill in draft form, in a bid to extend its life beyond the General Election in the face of political opposition.

That means the proposals will be opened to consultation and ministers are seeking feedback on how the first question on devolved powers should be phrased.

The Government has suggested two options. One, known as 'devolution max', would hand full fiscal autonomy to Scotland. The second would follow the more limited proposals put forward by the Calman Commission.

The final wording of the question will be decided following the consultation.

Regardless of the wording, Alex Salmond said his Government would launch a campaign for people to vote in favour of both options, meaning the country would be granted new powers while working towards becoming full independent.

He said: "I believe that the future prosperity and development of our country is best served by Scotland becoming independent, and the Scottish Government would campaign for a 'Yes-Yes' vote in the referendum - 'yes' to more responsibilities for the Parliament, and 'yes' to additional powers to enable independence to be achieved.

"'Yes-Yes' was the winning campaign in 1997 - and will be a winning campaign for Scotland again.  

"The case for an independent Scotland is stronger and more urgent following the economic crisis.  It is exactly the powers and flexibility offered by independence that Scotland needs in order to support recovery now, and deal effectively with the challenges and opportunities of the future.  But I recognise that there are also those who argue that the responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament should be extended in more limited ways.  

"The draft Bill reflects that and provides the framework for a referendum shaped by the people of Scotland.  I look forward to the consultation, the debate on the Bill - and to campaigning for a 'Yes-Yes' vote in the referendum itself."  

Speaking on a visit to Allied Vehicles Ltd in Glasgow, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the SNP's proposals for a referendum were not what people wanted.

He said: "I think this obsession with a constitution by the Nationalists runs contrary to everything that we're hearing in Scotland.

"People want to get jobs created, they want to make sure that public services are here, they want to hold governments to account for what they're doing and I think this diversion, this constitutional obsession that it's always about separation is not really what people are thinking about at the moment.

"What people are thinking about is jobs, the health service, about education and schools and they want to hold the SNP to account for what they've done in the Scottish Parliament."

He added: "There is a time to deal with constitutional issues but it's not now."

Watch interview with Mr Brown

Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are opposed to the plans, leaving the SNP without the votes needed to get a full Bill through parliament.

Alex Salmond claimed launching the Bill itself at this stage would have given the opposition parties the chance to "grab control of the Referendum Bill and dispose of it as quickly as they possibly could". And he insisted the Government's tactics would allow the Bill to survive beyond the "febrile" atmosphere of the election.

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Salmond said: "The Scottish Government believe in the sovereignty of the people. And as set out in the manifesto on which we were elected, we are committed to giving people the opportunity to express their views in a referendum.

"The importance of referendums on constitutional matters across the UK is clear, with the National Assembly for Wales having voted unanimously for a referendum to extend its powers, and Westminster backing a referendum on reforming the electoral system. There is no reason why Scotland should be treated differently, or less democratically.  

"More than 10 years on from the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, the debate in Scotland is no longer about whether or not the Parliament should take on new responsibilities - it is about the form of change, and that issue underpins the consultation.  The people want our Parliament to be able to do more, so the debate is now about how much more.  And it is time the people had their say.  

Earlier this week, Labour accused the Nationalists of trying to "rig" a referendum vote after it emerged ministers want to set up a special body to regulate it.

Government officials met with the members of the Electoral Commission watchdog, but said they planned to create a Scottish Referendum Commission to oversee the poll instead.

Education Secretary Mike Russell insisted setting up a new, independent body to oversee such a poll was the "normal thing to do".

However, Labour's constitution spokeswoman Pauline McNeill claimed: "Quite clearly it is an attempt to rig any question so they would have control over the referendum."

Jamie Livingstone's Cabinet Room blog: "Why the Referendum Bill isn't really a bill at all"