Commenting on the release of official data which shows that the Scottish economy grew by 0.6% in the final quarter of 2014 and by 2.7% during the calendar year as a whole, Liz Cameron, Director and Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“This is further evidence that 2014 was a good year for Scottish business. As we have found in our own research, a sharp pick up in construction activity towards the end of the year contributed significantly to continued solid growth levels. Prior to the beginning of 2014, the Scottish economy was only expected to grow by 1.8%, so to have returned annual growth last year of 2.7% is the result of significant successes within Scotland’s business community.

“That said, we all know that 2014 was an exceptional year on many levels. The challenge this year will be to sustain these growth levels and to secure the foundations to produce even higher levels of growth in future. Good businesses are never at rest and are always innovating. With the right support from government, we are eager to make Scotland an even more prosperous and successful economy.”