Liz Truss’s short-lived chancellor is the 54th Tory MP to say they are standing down at the next election
Severin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor
Health and social care spending will fall in Scotland in real terms this year, breaking a significant political promise from the Scottish National party, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
MSPs at Holyrood are currently examining next year’s Scottish budget before a final vote on the full package later this month, with Humza Yousaf’s government again putting substantial stress on protecting NHS spending in the next financial year.
Yet in a quite striking finding, the IFS has asserted that in real terms, the overall budget for the NHS will fall by 0.7% when additional spending on health and social care since last year’s budget was passed are included. Official budget documents say health spending will grow by 1.3% year on year, including the effects of inflation.
The IFS also argues the Scottish government’s presentation of the situation for councils is “seriously misleading.”
The budget papers say council funding will increase by 6.2% in real terms compared to last year’s budget, after years of cumulative cuts. But counting in-year increases last year, and the fact councils will have additional spending “burdens” from April onwards, the IFS argues the actual real terms increase is closer to 1.8%.
David Phillips, an associate director at the IFS who specialises in devolved government spending, said that overall the budget papers give a “misleading impression” of actual funding next year. He said:
“The Scottish government has argued that comparing its latest spending plans for one year with its initial budgets for the next year is problematic. It says this ignores the fact that plans in the next year can change too. And yes, they often do. But plans are plans, and at present the latest stated plan is to spend less on health next year than was spent this year.”
The government insists that comparing budget figures is valid, but agreed actual spending would change. “As this IFS report acknowledges, additional in-year funding is crucial to maintaining that real-terms growth, requiring the UK government to prioritise additional funding for health over the course of the year,” a spokesman said.
Continue reading… The Guardian Read More Liz Truss’s short-lived chancellor is the 54th Tory MP to say they are standing down at the next electionSeverin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editorHealth and social care spending will fall in Scotland in real terms this year, breaking a significant political promise from the Scottish National party, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.MSPs at Holyrood are currently examining next year’s Scottish budget before a final vote on the full package later this month, with Humza Yousaf’s government again putting substantial stress on protecting NHS spending in the next financial year.Yet in a quite striking finding, the IFS has asserted that in real terms, the overall budget for the NHS will fall by 0.7% when additional spending on health and social care since last year’s budget was passed are included. Official budget documents say health spending will grow by 1.3% year on year, including the effects of inflation.The IFS also argues the Scottish government’s presentation of the situation for councils is “seriously misleading.”The budget papers say council funding will increase by 6.2% in real terms compared to last year’s budget, after years of cumulative cuts. But counting in-year increases last year, and the fact councils will have additional spending “burdens” from April onwards, the IFS argues the actual real terms increase is closer to 1.8%.David Phillips, an associate director at the IFS who specialises in devolved government spending, said that overall the budget papers give a “misleading impression” of actual funding next year. He said:“The Scottish government has argued that comparing its latest spending plans for one year with its initial budgets for the next year is problematic. It says this ignores the fact that plans in the next year can change too. And yes, they often do. But plans are plans, and at present the latest stated plan is to spend less on health next year than was spent this year.”The government insists that comparing budget figures is valid, but agreed actual spending would change. “As this IFS report acknowledges, additional in-year funding is crucial to maintaining that real-terms growth, requiring the UK government to prioritise additional funding for health over the course of the year,” a spokesman said. Continue reading…
