John Swinney has promised the SNP Government will concentrate on getting things done after doing too much strategising in the past as he made clear that UK taxpayers would be expected to pick up associated bills.

Announcing plans to bring forward publication of the latest Programme for Government to May 6 amid the economic headwinds blowing across the Atlantic, the first minister said his team will be “laser-focused on delivery”.

The programme will set out how the Government plans to tackle the climate emergency while growing Scotland’s economy, eradicating child poverty and ensuring the country benefits from good public services.

The move comes after Mr Swinney admitted in May last year that SNP Governments had been much better at announcing grand plans than implementing them. He said then: “I will demand from my government more concrete actions and fewer strategy documents.”

Mr Swinney’s administration has just made a U-turn that highlighted this failing.

It scrapped the proposed Heat in Buildings bill in March when acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin admitted the plan would make people poorer.

The bill was put out for consultation in November 2023 when Humza Yousaf was first minister. It would have required people to commit to getting rid of gas boilers after buying homes.

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This month acting climate action minister Alasdair Allan said the Government planned to deliver a revised bill in response to the legitimate reservations and concerns raised “including the risk of exacerbating fuel poverty and burdening every individual householder with an overly onerous responsibility........

© Herald Scotland