Gloomy figures

THE sharp fall in the global oil price is expected to result in the largest ever gap between what Scotland raises and what it spends.

The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report will be published on Wednesday and is expected to show a deficit in excess of the £15 billion reported for 2014/15.

Alastair Cameron, of the Scotland in Union group, said: “Despite a further fall in oil revenues we have been protected from deep cuts by the pooling and sharing of the UK.”