SNP plans to publish another series of papers on Scottish independence have been branded a "waste of trees" by opposition parties.
Jamie Hepburn announced today that a new white paper on ending the Union would be produced "within weeks".
The minister for independence claimed it was his "responsibility" in government to continue pushing the case for ditching Westminster.
Nicola Sturgeon last year unveiled three prospectus papers on independence as part of her failed plan to hold an IndyRef2 in October 2023.
But the SNP suffered a major setback after the UK Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood did not have the power to call a referendum without prior approval from the UK Government.
The party now has no clear plan on how to achieve a vote on ending the Union.
Hepburn said: "We want to continue to roll them out [the papers] and advance the case so that’s what I’m taking forward and I’ll be leading on within government.
"More widely, it will be my responsibility to make sure that the Government’s agenda remains pointed in the direction of continuously making the case for independence.
"I’m the minister for independence but of course all Scottish Government ministers are ministers for independence.
"My role is to make sure we’re taking that forward in an assertive fashion and also in a manner which is joined up so that each minister, whatever their portfolio responsibility, is making sure there is a golden thread of independence running through every policy area."
Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie: "Never before will so many trees have been sacrificed in the pursuit of such a pointless exercise.
"With the party under police investigation and the government still incapable of even building a ferry you would think they’d have other things on their mind.
"No matter how many taxpayer funded reports they produce they still won’t have the faintest clue what they would do on pensions, currency or borders.
"Instead the Scottish Government should be focused on helping the 1 in 7 Scots on NHS waiting lists, tackling the cost of living crisis and stopping sewage pouring into our rivers."
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
