An SNP-led administration in the Scottish parliament could continue to make devolution work, John Swinney has said.

The SNP leader said that his party would stick to its "cast iron commitment" of a referendum on Scottish independence - but would also continue to work within the devolution settlement to deliver its public services agenda.

Swinney said that after May 1's elections, independence would eventually lead to increased powers to tackle issues such as poverty and employment

"But obviously, on the first day, May 2, the day after the elections, the hospitals of Scotland, the schools of Scotland, have got to continue to operate and we as an SNP administration would have to give people the comfort that they were secure in their homes and their streets, because the police service was still operating so there's a day one obligation to make sure the public services of Scotland under devolution continue to operate," he told this website.

Swinney rejected suggestions that an SNP executive could lead to stalemate between London and Edinburgh.

"The challenge for any Scottish executive is to make sure it can deliver as much as it possibly can do within the devolved settlement, that would be the purpose of my administration to do that, as effectively as we possibly could do," he said.

Highlighting fisheries as one area where the SNP could have done more to deliver a better deal for Scotland, he said that "I would demand to lead the UK delegation on fisheries within devolution".

"It is a very basic issue to ensure our interests are well represented," he said. "So there's a lot, lot more to be done and obviously that opportunity is unleashed by the SNP winning the elections on May 1."

Swinney also told ePolitix.com he was concerned at the performance of the Scottish parliament.

He said two reasons for public disillusion with the parliament were the decisions on the new Scottish parliament building and the failure of the Liberal-Labour executive to deliver on "their very basic promises".

"But thirdly, I don't think the parliament has got the powers to deliver on the expectations of the people within Scotland. If we stopped the average person on the street in Scotland, they would say to you that they would expect a parliament to invigorate the economy and to cut poverty," he said.

"They've done neither since the parliament was established, not because there is a lack of willing, because there isn't the powers to do it."