Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said: “In the face of strong pressure from businesses across Scotland and from my Conservative colleagues, the Scottish Government has finally been forced to see sense.
“While this still doesn’t provide the same levels of support as is available to businesses south of the border, the Scottish Government’s belated u-turn is welcome nonetheless.
“What is so frustrating is that there was a ready-made UK model available but Scottish ministers chose to diverge for no good reason.
“This meant delays which have caused unnecessary uncertainty and concern to businesses across the Highlands and Islands.
“It is now vital that the Scottish Government makes up for lost time by ensuring this support gets out to businesses as quickly as possible”.
