Glut of ministers

With the announcement that the salary of Scotland’s First Minister is to leapfrog over the pay of the UK Prime Minister, are we getting a foretaste of Scottish fiscal autonomy?

Of course, savings could be made on the present size of the Scottish Government’s ministerial payroll, with its array of ministers and deputy ministers, and the civil servants and advisers servicing them.

A recent TV item showed the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and departmental minister all attending the same event when one would surely have been enough.

JIM CRAIGEN

Downie Grove

Edinburgh