THE First Minister was yesterday accused of backpedalling on a promise to make St Andrew's Day a national holiday.
Alex Salmond promised last April that the creation of a new holiday in honour of the saint who gave the country its saltire flag would be introduced.
But the SNP Executive's report on its first 100 days in power failed to mention upgrading St And
rew's Day, leading to accusations that the idea had been dropped.
Former Falkirk MSP Dennis Canavan, said his bill to make St Andrew's Day a bank holiday attracted "unanimous support" from all parties, including the SNP.
MSPs backed plans to allow an existing holiday to be substituted with St Andrew's Day, on 30 November.
When the bill introduced by Mr Canavan - who stepped down as an MSP before the May elections - was debated last September, the SNP's Stewart Maxwell, now the communities and sports minister, said an SNP administration would create an extra bank holiday.
A Labour spokesman said yesterday: "The SNP ... are going back on their promises as quickly as they can. This is just another example of something they said they would do, but they're backpedalling now they're in power."
Mr Canavan said: "I will be urging the First Minister to stand by his commitment so that Scots will have the opportunity of celebrating our national identity and our membership of the international community."
But a spokeswoman for the Executive said last night that Mr Salmond had personally contacted Mr Canavan to reassure him that the national holiday plan was still in place.
She said: "We are building on the holiday provisions in Dennis Canavan's bill to make the most of Scotland's national day and create a winter festival from St Andrew's Day through Hogmanay to Burns Night."
She added: "This year is an interim arrangement because holiday plans were already set, and of course, as a responsible employer, we must negotiate these matters with trade unions for next year and beyond.
"This government has very ambitious plans to encourage the people of Scotland to celebrate St Andrew's Day and what it means to be Scottish, and we believe that having a holiday will support this approach."
But Murdo Fraser, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said the compromise plan to axe one public holiday in favour of 30 November was the best deal for Scots and business.
He claimed a new holiday could cost employers as much as £180 million.
Mr Fraser, who is also the party's enterprise spokesman, said: "The compromise we first suggested in 2005 brings the best of both worlds without a multi-million-pound burden on the Scottish economy."
Scotland's patron saint by accident
A FISHERMAN in Palestine and said to be the first disciple to follow Jesus, St Andrew became Scotland's patron saint by accident.
He was crucified in Greece, for working to convert the Roman province to Christianity.
According to tradition, a monk called St Rule was told in a dream to take the saint's bones "to the ends of the earth" for safekeeping.
But he was shipwrecked off Fife in the late 600s AD, and founded the church and monastery of St Andrews in the saint's honour there.
