Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
I offer my congratulations to both Governments, and in particular I single out the Deputy First Minister, who did much of the heavy lifting in the negotiations.
There is one piece of unfinished business. The Smith commission called for independent scrutiny of Scotland’s public finances. Will the First Minister think again and give the fiscal commission teeth with responsibility for forecasting and for reporting on the sustainability of our public finances? I see the Deputy First Minister shaking his head. What a disappointment that is. I hope that on this occasion the First Minister might overrule him.