NEW POWERS: SCOTLAND READY SAYS HARVIE
Patrick Harvie, MSP and Scottish Green spokesperson on Finance, Constitution and the Economy, has today welcomed Audit Scotland's report which looks at the progress being made with implementation of the Scotland Act 2012.
Harvie said the progress report clearly showed that Scotland is ready for new powers, but highlighted the uncertainty which still exists over the fiscal framework and the risks associated with partial devolution of tax powers.
Patrick Harvie said:
"This report shows that Scotland is more than capable of handling the new powers that are coming our way. The risks lie in the piecemeal selection of powers we've been handed, and without a robust framework it won’t be clear how those powers can be used to the advantage of people in Scotland.
"The new powers still leave Scotland operating under constraints, and because of the lack of agreement on the fiscal framework, the future of our finances is still very uncertain. Until Scotland has power over all economic matters, our economy will continue to suffer from decisions made at UK level.”