Scotland could launch a national oil fund within a year of independence, experts said yesterday.

The Scottish government bolstered its call for a Yes vote in next year's referendum following the report, which found a dual-fund system could begin investing the government's North Sea royalties as early as 2016.

The plan would see a short-term "stabilisation" fund managing dips and peaks in revenue gained from its oil and gas revenues, while gains from a second, long-term fund could be channelled into public assets, the government's independent Fiscal Commission Working Group found.