STEWART HARRIS, a former Dundee physical education teacher and coach of the Scottish women's basketball team, is the new chief executive of sportscotland.

He was named yesterday by Julia Bracewell, the organisation's chair, and succeeds Ian Taylor, the former Olympic hockey goalkeeperwho lasted less than six months before quitting to take over as ceo of London Irish rugby club.

The quango charged with developing sport and implementing Scottish Executive policy has thus been without a chief executive for more than 12 of the past 18 months.

What is surprising is the length of time it took to find Harris, who has been at sportscotland for 14 years, most recently as director of widening opportunities. He was acting ceo for nearly sixmonths, when Australian Ian Robson stepped down at the beginning of May last year, and for more than seven months after the departure of Englishman Taylor.

The post was widely advertised and a recruitment agency was enlisted. Surely they have not earned a fat fee for determining that the deputy was the best option. At least, though, there is now a Scot deemed up to the job.

Besides his background as a coach and board member of Basketball Scotland, Harris has extensive experience with local authorities. He is responsible for putting sports co-ordinators in 605 of 672 Scottish schools to date, and for the programme designed to increase physical activity in school children.

He arrives at a time of great opportunity for Scottish sport, with the Olympics in London and possibly the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

A more immediate taskwill be resolving where sportscotland's offices should be.

The Scottish Executive has a policy of devolving quangos from the capital, and a decision on theirGyle headquarters was originally promised in November, 2002.

Robson, who made it, is long gone and so is his successor.

Now it becomes an issue for Harris, with a consultant's poll having shown the majority of his colleagues to be against relocation and a threat of mass resignations if one is imposed.

Glasgow's plans for a huge east end development are being compromised by the delays (they hope to incorporate the headquarters in the new national indoor arena). Stirling is also in contention and need to know.

Jack McConnell, the first minister, looked me in the eye on August 16 and promised a decision "soon, very soon", when I asked when a verdict could be expected.

"Within a month?" I queried.

"Very, very soon, " he reiterated, adding that it was a decision for sports minister Patricia Ferguson. It was previously supposed to have been a decision for two cabinet colleagues.

These delays, and the length of time it took to appoint Stewart Harris, border on farce.

They may not illustrate true government priority for sport in Scotland, but few in the know will envy the new sportscotland chief.