Alex Salmond today unveiled his Government's plans for a vote on independence for Scotland.

In a historic address to MSPs at Holyrood, the First Minister formally launched his consultation on the referendum

He set out the "short, straightforward and clear" question the Scottish National Party administration intended to put to voters: "The question is 'Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?"'

Mr Salmond described the vote on whether or not Scotland should stay in the United Kingdom as "the most important decision by the people of Scotland in 300 years".

For that reason, he said, it was important that the vote should meet "the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety".

The First Minister announced the Electoral Commission would be appointed to regulate the referendum.

Eligibility to vote would be determined by residency, he told MSPs: "The people who live and work in Scotland are best placed to decide its future."

However, he said the Scottish Government proposed extending the franchise to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote.

Mr Salmond said: "It is right that our young people should have the chance to play their part in decisions about their community and their country. "If a 16-year-old in Scotland can register to join the Army, get married and pay taxes, surely he or she should be able to have a say in this country's constitutional future?

"In our consultation today we are, therefore, seeking views on our proposal to extend the right to vote in this referendum to 16- and 17-year-olds who are eligible to be included on the electoral register."

He also said the referendum could include the option of greatly-enhanced powers for Holyrood - dubbed devo-max.

The Westminster Government and opposition parties in Scotland want voters to be given a straight choice on remaining in the United Kingdom or becoming independent.

But Mr Salmond said if there was "wide support" for devo max, it was "only fair and democratic" that that should be included in the ballot.

He said: "The Scottish Government's position is for independence. Therefore, that option will appear on the ballot paper in a straightforward manner."

However, "If there is an alternative of maximum devolution which would command wide support in Scotland, then it is only fair and democratic that option should be among the choices open to the people of Scotland.

"We will not, as the UK Government seems to want, eliminate that choice simply because it might be popular."

Earlier today, Prime Minister David Cameron told the Commons the further devolution of powers to Scotland should be discussed across the UK and not just north of the border, and reiterated his calls for an early independence referendum.

Mr Cameron said that devolution affected the whole of the UK and it would therefore be unfair to limit a consultation on handing further powers to Holyrood to the Scottish people. He said he "dearly hoped" the Scottish people would choose not to separate from England.

But Mr Salmond argued the autumn of 2014 was "the soonest that the referendum could be held in a way that meets the high standards which the people of this country have a right to expect".

While Westminster insists the Scottish Government does not have the legal authority to hold a referendum, Mr Salmond said his Government had "set out in the past how the Scottish Parliament could hold a referendum which we are satisfied would be within its present competence".

He added: "In order to ensure that the referendum is effectively beyond legal challenge, we are willing to work with the UK Government."

Mr Salmond said he looked forward to discussing this issue with Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and Mr Cameron "in the coming days".

The First Minister is due to meet Mr Moore  on Friday but the Scottish Secretary had to watch today's proceedings from his home in the Borders after contracting chickenpox.

The UK Government has already put forward its own plans, to temporarily extend Holyrood's powers to enable a vote on independence to take place.

But Mr Salmond argued that decisions on the referendum should be made in Scotland.

The SNP leader said: "The terms of the referendum are for the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland to decide. This is the mandate given to the Scottish Parliament by the people of Scotland and the responsibility of carrying through the will of the electorate now rests with this chamber."

After citing the Bard on Burns Night, Mr Salmond referred to another poet, James Robertson, who wrote: "The bird that was trapped has flown."

Mr Salmond said: "The bird has flown, and cannot now be returned to its cage. I believe this journey represents the aspirations and ambitions of the people of Scotland."

He called on opposition parties - Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens - to "take the lead from the people of Scotland".

He added: "The next two-and-a-half years promise to be the most exciting in Scotland's modern history. And at the end of that period, in autumn 2014, people the length and breadth of our country will have their say in Scotland's independence referendum.

"Independence, in essence, is based on a simple idea: the people who care most about Scotland, that is the people who live, work and bring up their families in Scotland, should be the ones taking the decisions about our nation's future.

"No one else is going to do a better job of making Scotland a success. No one else has the same stake in our future. The people of Scotland should be in charge."

Independence would allow Scotland to become a wealthier and fairer nation, Mr Salmond said, imagining a country that "speaks with its own voice, stands taller in the world and takes responsibility for its own future".

He said the United Nations had formed when there was 50 independent nations in the world, telling Parliament there are now close to 200.

"Scotland's journey, our home rule journey, is clearly part of a bigger international trend," he said. "After all, independence is what we seek as individuals - whether it is buying our first car or our first home. It is the natural state for people and nations around the world. Not being independent is the exception.

"I want Scotland to be independent, not because I think we are better than any other country, but because I know we are just as good as any other country. Like these other nations, our future, our resources and our success should be in our own hands."

Read the Scottish Government's consultation document in full

Read the UK Government's consultation document in full