'No more excuses'

£300m boost for Scot Gov fo cover hike

- CHRIS MCCALL

THE Treasury is to hand the Scottish Government around £300million to cover the cost of a National Insurance hike on employers.

The cash- which will be given by the end of the financial year - will cover public sector employers liable to pay more in NI.

The funding will be a boost to SNP ministers - including Finance Secretary Shona Robison-ahead of December 4's budget statement.

A UK Government source said there "hundreds of millions of pounds" were now heading to Holyrood.