Meeting of the Parliament 01 April 2015
If Mr Fraser allows me to make a bit of progress, I will give way in a second.
In considering those issues and making our case, I should point out that we accept the referendum’s outcome and that, as a result, our proposals are set within the UK’s fiscal framework. In other words, a fiscally autonomous Scotland would operate within the fiscal and macroeconomic framework of the UK, but we would be responsible for virtually all the taxes and spending on almost all the public services and the welfare system in Scotland. The benefits of such an approach are clear: it would enable us to build on the foundations that we have for a successful economy and to tackle some of the deep-seated issues that we face.
Scotland’s onshore output per head is similar to the UK average and, in the UK, ranks behind only that of London and the south-east; when our North Sea resources are included, Scotland’s output per head is more than £1,600 per person higher than the UK average. We also have a higher employment rate than any other country in the UK and, for the benefit of the historical analysis, I point out that in every one of the past 34 years, Scotland has generated more than the UK as a whole in tax revenue per person.
I cite those facts in order to tackle some of the issues that Mr Brown raised, because the implication of his speech is that Scotland is somehow incapable of building on those foundations to deliver a better outcome and a better future for the people of Scotland.