Official Report 158KB pdf
Agenda item 4 is the Finance Committee's inquiry on the budget process; a paper has been circulated to members. It is not intended that we will have a lengthy discussion at this meeting, because the issue is on the agenda for our next meeting on 14 May. We have big commitments in terms of our work programme, so I will ask some basic questions. Does the committee wish to respond—although doing so is not essential—to the Finance Committee's consultation?
Are there any particular areas or issues that members would like our full discussion on 14 May to focus on?
I would like to return to discussion about the level of detail in the budget at level 2 and level 3. That information is critical to our understanding—it is the principal point.
There are issues concerning the amount of information that we can get in preparing alternative spending proposals, and the way in which those can be introduced by subject committees and taken forward through the Finance Committee. There is perhaps some relaxation there.
That might encompass the point about the ability to move amendments to the budget in the current system, which has some clear restrictions on it that we had not thought out in the first session of Parliament because there was not a minority Government.
The same was true in the second session; it suited everyone for the first eight years to go on in the same way.
There are issues of importance arising from that.
Okay. We will ask for further information to develop those points so that we can have a more focused discussion at the next meeting.
I should mention that as the former convener of the Finance Committee, I have been asked to give evidence to the current Finance Committee on budget issues.
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