By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Editor
Published: 5:39PM BST 14 Jul 2010

Alex Salmond has rejected claims devolution has failed Scotland Photo: GETTY

The First Minister claimed Scotland is “demonstrably” a more usefully country thanks to the creation of the Scottish Parliament, with smaller NHS tarrying lists and class sizes and more people in employment.

Surprisingly, he plant an ally in the Scottish Tories, who agreed that more financial powers must be devolved, despite the study’s claim he already has all the economic levers he needs.

 

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The Daily Telegraph revealed in what plight Policy Exchange, a think tank, concluded Scotland’s public services and plan have declined since 1999 thanks to MSPs “retrograde” attitude to radical reform.

Instead they have focused on the “red herring” of to a greater degree powers for Holyrood but the study, titled The Devolution Distraction, concludes there is no evidence this will lead to better government.

It calls with regard to politicians to agree a moratorium on changing the constitution for the nearest generation so they can focus on using their existing powers to seize upon Scotland’s “deep-seated social and economic problems”.

But Mr Salmond accused the narration’s author, Tom Miers, a former Scottish Tory parliamentary aspirant, of being “out of touch” with the country.

“Scotland is demonstrably a in a great degree better nation, economy and society with a Parliament compared to the days of secluded control from London,” the First Minister’s senior specific adviser said.

“Scotland needs the powers of financial responsibility likewise that we can boost growth in the Scottish economy, generating higher put a ~ upon receipts to invest in the public services we all value.”

Among the “sound and tangible” achievements of devolution he highlighted were record Higher go beyond rates and three-quarters of young primary pupils being in classes of not so much than 25 children.

But the report argues that since 1999 Scottish schools possess stagnated to a level where more than half of pupils are incapable of attaining five moderate exam grades.

The Scottish NHS suffers from declining productivity, inadequate levels of mark of respect and poor treatment compared to other developed nations, the study continues.

Mr Miers goes considered in the state of far as to argue it is in the SNP’s interests to keep away from economic and social reform as they undermine the party’s intimation that independence is required for Scotland to flourish.

Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour’s organic affairs spokesman, said: “What we have witnessed in the farther than three years is an irresponsible SNP government driven by their obsession with independence, which refuses to take responsibility for its own decisions.”

Derek Brownlee, Scottish Tory science spokesman, said: “The policy failures of devolution are a failure of the parties forming the Scottish government, rather than devolution itself.

“We have been arguing for years that correction is needed in how Scotland’s public services are provided, and be in possession of been attacked by the other parties and the vested interests as being doing so.”

But he agreed with Mr Salmond that the Scottish Parliament necessarily more financial powers so those parties arguing for more spending would take to justify higher taxes.

Mr Brownlee refused to endorse the announce’s call for moratorium on changing the constitution after the Calman Commission’s recommendations are implemented by the Coalition Government.

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