THE legal position on banning prisoners from voting in the independence referen-dum is "perfectly clear", the Deputy First Minister has said.

The Scottish Government is against extending the franchise for the 2014 vote to those serving custodial sentences, and has taken account of all legal considerations on this, Nicola Sturgeon said.

She was giving evidence to Holyrood's Referendum Bill Committee when she was asked about prisoners voting.

A Holyrood legal adviser earlier told the committee the ban could breach human rights and be open to legal challenge.