Mr Swinney will call on the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to fund a list of £300 million worth of "shovel-ready projects" First Minister Alex Salmond has given to the Prime Minister.

The list of more than 30 projects include £13m for Glasgow University to build a centre for virology research, and £4m for work on Ullapool pier.

The Scottish Government say that if all the projects went ahead now, they would provide vital support to employment with every additional £100m of capital spending estimated to support around 1400 jobs in Scotland.

Mr Swinney will also use tomorrow's Joint Exchequer Committee meeting to press the Treasury to ensure new financial powers for Scotland are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Mr Swinney said. "I have written to the Chancellor again to express my disappointment at the unacceptable delay in providing funding for these projects and to ask him to rectify this as a matter of urgency.

"It's time for the Westminster Government to stop dragging its heels and find the funding so that work on these projects can get under way and benefit communities up and down Scotland."