By David Scott
9 June 2010
Scotland’s preparations for public spending cuts are patchy and lack urgency, according to an influential Holyrood committee.
In a report published today, the finance committee says there does not appear to be a consistent public sector approach to preparing for budget reductions. The MSPs’ criticisms follow an inquiry by the all-party committee into the efficient provision of public services.
The report calls on publicly funded bodies, the Scottish Government and parliamentary committees to show ‘far greater leadership by discussing in more open and realistic terms the impact the cuts will have and the options that are available to deal with these cuts’.
The committee says it asked during its inquiry what preparations the public sector should be making now in response to the tightening public spending but received only broad and inconsistent answers. It calls on the Scottish Government to provide more detailed information on the number of public sector jobs that could be lost in future years and for greater clarity on pay policy.
Convener Andrew Welsh said: ‘Over the course of its inquiry, the gravity of the current financial situation was made clear to the committee.
‘Given the scale of the challenge, it is essential that the Parliament and the Scottish Government begin working together now to ensure an effective response to the forthcoming budget reductions.’
The Scottish budget is due to be cut by £332m following the £6bn reductions announced by the UK government.
However, Scottish ministers have decided to take up an offer from the UK Treasury to delay the cuts until 2011.
