New figures show the clear gains of devolution for people in Scotland and build the compelling case for more powers for Holyrood, the SNP has said.
 
A host of new stats from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) show that unemployment has fallen by a remarkable 48% since the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 – with female unemployment falling by 47%, and employment in rural Scotland rising by 6.5%.
 
The number of free childcare hours has risen from 0 to 600 in twenty years – with families seeing a rise of 26% since the SNP was elected.
 
In creating a safer Scotland, police officer numbers have soared under devolution. Despite a £2 billion cut to Holyrood’s block grant by Westminster in the last decade, officer numbers have risen by 16.5% since 1999.
 
According to a recent Panelbase poll, Scots believe that the Scottish Parliament has been a “force for improvement” and that Holyrood has given ordinary people more say in how Scotland is run.  The Social Attitudes Survey has consistently found that people believe having a Scottish Parliament gives Scotland a stronger voice in the UK. 
 
Commenting, Bruce Crawford MSP said: 
 
“The ability to take positive decisions in a Parliament which is accessible and ready to listen, has made our country a fundamentally better place to live, work and study.
 
“Scotland is delivering the best public services in the UK and leading the world in a range of ambitious policies.
 
“While we’ve taken better decisions in devolved areas, the shambles of Brexit makes the case for independence more compelling than ever – with Westminster ignoring Scotland’s voice and interests and trying to undermine the devolution process.
 
“Westminster is simply not working for us. Only independence will put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.”  
 
 
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/holyroods-vote-of-confidence-poll-results-hail-the-positive-effect-of-devolution-98pttrspb

https://www.gov.scot/news/public-trust-in-scottish-government/