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Steering Scotland into 'fast lane'
26/06/2007
First Minister Alex Salmond said today he wants Scotland to become a 'high growth, fast lane economy' and not remain a low growth, slow lane economy.
The FM was speaking in Edinburgh at a Cabinet dialogue event with the public and private sectors in front of an audience of 400 people, including Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers.
Mr Salmond said:
"We will not achieve more success for Scotland unless the public and private sectors work together. Our public and private sectors go hand in hand - how they interface will have a significant bearing on how effective or otherwise any Government in the 21st Century can be.
"I want Scotland to be a high growth, fast lane economy - not a low growth, slow lane economy.
"That's why we will work with them to drive up efficiency, provide better and more streamlined services - and ensure that the people of Scotland are healthy, motivated and able to play their part in building our nation's prosperity.
"For their part, our businesses must be given an environment within which they can provide high-value employment and act as the generators of wealth. World class public services come at a cost and if we are to create a society within which taxation remains the primary source for public services then a vibrant, dynamic economy is the only way to do that.
"That partnership holds the key to future Scottish success."
Scotland's growth has averaged just 1.8 per cent over three decades, roughly half the average rate for other small European countries and around a third of the average growth for Ireland.