Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced his spending plans aimed at stimulating Scotland's economy.
Setting out his 2013/14 budget, he pledged £180m over two years for skills, construction and the green economy.
It includes £40m of additional spending on affordable housing, starting this year, and £80m on new schools to support the construction sector.
He told parliament it was a "Scottish budget for jobs and growth".
"In these difficult economic times this government is doing everything within its limited power to stimuate Scotland's economy, to invest in our young people, protect households and support front line services," he said.
Mr Swinney said his budget maintained commitments on tuition fees, a council tax freeze, police numbers, free prescriptions and concessionary travel, as well as protection of the NHS budget.
The minister also announced that pay restraint for public sector workers would be eased with "a modest 1% increase".
The lower paid will see most of the additional money.
- £40m for affordable housing, starting this year
- £80m for the Schools for the Future programme
- Creation of an Energy Skills Academy
- Employer recruitment initiative for young people
- £17m for college education and student support
- £6m for cycling
- £1m for "elite athletes"
- £2.5m for hybrid buses
- £1.5m for VisitScotland
- £1m for historic buildings
A freeze on public sector pay for those earning more than £21,000 was implemented in the 2011/12 financial year and was due to come to an end in March 2013.
Earlier Mr Swinney said his plans would be a "relentless pursuit of economic growth", despite UK government cuts.
Investments include £30m to be spent over three years on a Green Investment Package of energy efficiency measures, concentrating on domestic property.
And £17m will go towards college education and student support.
Mr Swinney announced support for a national employer recruitment initiative which he said would create up to 10,000 opportunities for small and medium sized companies to recruit young people.
An Energy Skills Academy will also be established to support the creation of skills in the oil and gas, renewables, thermal generation and carbon capture and storage industries.
Mr Swinney said: "We are doing everything we can to support growth, public services and opportunities for the future but the UK government needs to realise that more needs to be done.
"Only with the full levers of independence can Scotland properly capture economic opprotunity and tackle inequality and poverty and we can do so more efficiently and effectively than currently happens in the UK."
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19653187#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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