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The Spanish government has announced that it is set to trigger Article 155 of the Spanish constitution to block Catalonia's autonomy and effectively allow Madrid to directly rule the region.

The request has now been sent to the Spanish Parliament pending an approval on Saturday.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made this disclosure while responding to the last letter sent by Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont who threatened to declare Catalonia's independence if Rajoy continued with the threats of Article 155 and continued avoiding dialogue.

Spain denounced the attitude maintained by those responsible for harming "the coexistence and economic structure of Catalonia", the prime minister's statement said, promising that Madrid would do everything in its power to restore "legality and constitutional order".

Spanish government spokesperson Inigo Mendez de Vigo told reporters in Madrid: "Cabinet ministers will approve the [Article 155] measures on Saturday, which will be submitted to the Senate to protect the interests of the Spanish people - including the Catalans in Catalonia.

"The government will do everything in its power to put a brake on the economic deterioration in Catalonia caused by the actions of the present Catalonia president."

Although Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is yet to respond to this most recent threat from Madrid, he has already indicated in his last letter to the Spanish Parliament that if the Spanish government continued to threaten to trigger Article 155 and refuse to hold talks, Catalonia will be forced to declare its independence.