The Scottish National Party (SNP) today called for more support for small businesses.

Recent figures from the UK Small Business Service Statistics Team revealed that Scottish enterprise is growing at a slower rate than in the rest of Britain.

Speaking before a debate in the Scottish Parliament about economy and small business, SNP shadow enterprise minister Jim Mather asked MSPs to eliminate or reduce business rates for three-quarters of companies in Scotland.

He said: "Scotland has been underperforming to the extent that there has actually been a reduction in the total number of businesses in some of our main cities.

"If we want to get Scotland moving again, we need policies which directly help small business."

According to the research, Scottish VAT registered businesses increased by four per cent in the past seven years, compared to 9.5 per cent in England, 7.1 per cent in Northern Ireland and 4.4 per cent in Wales.

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 51 per cent of Scottish jobs, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.