Bill Wilson MSP

Dr Bill Wilson, MSP for the West of Scotland, has hit out at the “astonishing hypocrisy” of former Scotland Office Minister Ann McKechin, Labour MP for Glasgow North, who has been asking questions of the very department she used to be part of.  Her questions centre on when Scotland will receive payments from the fossil fuel levy fund, a pot of money accumulated from a charge paid by suppliers of electricity from non-renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom.

Dr Wilson said, “After two years as a Junior Minister in the Scottish Office, McKechin had the gall to ask the new Secretary of State for Scotland when he planned to release fossil fuel levy funds to Scotland – something her party did not do in thirteen years.  After all those years in government, it took until the month before the election to get any sort of clear indication from Alistair Darling as to when any such funds would be released.

The SNP’s case for independence gained strength recently with the release of the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report. The Annual GERS report outlines Scotland’s fiscal position compared with other parts of the United Kingdom.

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland, SNP) said, “The GERS report outlines very clearly that by being part of the UK Scotland is at a severe economic disadvantage.

“Scotland should be in a very strong position but our surplus is squandered on Westminster’s debt. These figures show that Scotland would not only survive as an independent country but would be a prosperous nation.

“Only full financial responsibility will unleash Scotland’s potential.  The argument for independence has never been stronger and the SNP is determined that Scottish resources should be invested in health, education and economy and not on wasteful Westminster debt.”