Question

Скласти розповідь все про Шотландію​

Answer 1

Scotland's economy has in recent times shared in acute form the problems besetting many European countries, brought about by rapid changes that include the move away from heavy industries.

Unemployment is a serious problem, especially in those areas where major industries have declined, and it is consistently higher than in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Governments have made efforts to improve these conditions by a variety of measures. Chief among these is the Scottish Development Agency, which was set up in 1975 to encourage industry. The Highlands and Islands Development Board had been established 10 years earlier to carry out similar functions in the more remote regions.

Scotland had eight joint-stock banks until the 1950s, but, as a result of mergers, the number was reduced to three: the Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank, which retain the right to issue their own notes.

Since the mid-1960s, there has been a substantial expansion of financial and business services, with Edinburgh becoming second only to London in this field. The banking sector has grown and has now expanded into North America and Europe. It has also pioneered new applications of technology. Merchant banking facilities are more widely available, and the services historically associated with Scotland, such as the management of unit and investment trusts and life funds, have expanded.

One-third of Britain's investment trusts are managed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee. They have large investments in North America and specialised knowledge of conditions there. Unit trusts are represented in Edinburgh, where some leading British insurance companies also have their headquarters.