This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Devolution a success story - Minister
25/10/2002
Critics should lay off Devolution and let the Executive and the Parliament continue to work together in building a better Scotland, a seminar at Dundee University was told today.
Devolution has achieved much for people in communities across Scotland over the past three years, the Minister for Parliament Patricia Ferguson said.
And the Executive will build on these strong foundations to make more progress towards creating a more prosperous, inclusive Scotland.
Ms Ferguson said:
"It's hard to believe how far we've come in three short years. Devolution has been a real success story.
"Yes, we have made some mistakes, but we must not lose sight of the scale of what we have achieved - and how much progress has been made already, and will continue to be made.
"The new politics has meant huge changes in our systems and structures. But these are of course not an end in themselves. These have enabled us to make real changes to real lives, in ways we couldn't possibly have done before.
"The Partnership Agreement between Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats has shaped a new style of operating here. Coalition politics has meant we've needed to work together breaking down old barriers, and I believe Scotland is better for it.
"So, we've come a long way. But we are looking already to what we can do in the future. We have laid strong foundations, on which we want to build. This Executive's five priorities - health, education, transport, jobs and crime are about ensuring that we meet the needs of the people of Scotland.
"We are pursuing these priorities through a programme of public service reform. It's not rocket science, but about setting decent standards for our schools and hospitals. It's about ensuring that we can account for every penny that we spend of public money being used to improve the lives of people in Scotland.
"We are promoting cross-cutting issues in new ways, and need to enhance our capacity to address the vitally important issues that face us - of closing the opportunity gap and sustainable development. This is a long-term agenda, it won't happen overnight, but we are deeply committed to making it happen.
"Many challenges lie ahead, but I am genuinely proud to have been part of what we have achieved so far."