Driving the economy

No-one could quibble about the intentions behind the Scottish Government's overhaul, unveiled yesterday, of this country's economic development agencies. According to John Swinney, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, the changes that will radically affect Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will slice off layers of bureaucracy, fix the focus of these agencies firmly on long-term growth and be of greater benefit to business and the economy through the advent of streamlined structures. A dynamic economy is pivotal to Scotland's wellbeing and these are just the aims that need to be identified to deliver growth at the pace desired by the SNP (even if the position from which we are starting is open to dispute).