Over the last year, we have witnessed the deepest recession in living memory. What began as a financial crisis - striking hard at financial institutions across the globe - has extended to impact on households and businesses across Scotland.
With that in mind the Scottish Government announced an Economic Recovery Plan in autumn 2008, and set it out in detail in January 2009. The Plan was updated in March and June as part of the continuing commitment to update and review it over time.
The Scottish Government believes that this is an ideal time to take stock, look ahead and move forward with the Plan. The current update of the Economic Recovery Plan ensures that all Scottish Government activity is aligned to position us for recovery: focusing on creating the best environment for business growth in the UK and supporting our most vulnerable people and communities.
This demands a three-pronged approach: