Spending Review 2002
The next item of business is a statement by Andy Kerr on the spending review 2002. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so there should be no interventions.
I am pleased to present our spending plans, which focus resources on achieving growth and opportunity in Scotland for the next 20 years. This budget—the budget of our Labour-Liberal Democrat partnership—is a budget for the long term. The spending plans will cover the total resources available to us over the next three years, which will rise to £25 billion. That is an annual average real-terms increase of 4.6 per cent. Over the next three years, we will invest over £70 billion in Scotland.
I want the focus of the debate to be on what those plans will deliver and the impact that they will have on growth and on opportunity, but I suspect that I need to take a few minutes to put the record straight on what I am announcing today. I am not reannouncing increases to our budget; I am setting out our plans for using that budget. Those plans are published today. A copy for each member is available in the Scottish Parliament information centre.
The outcome of the United Kingdom spending review in July confirmed the resources that are available to us over the next three years, taking into account the impact of SR2000, the increases to the health budget announced in April and increases that flow from SR2002. The announcement in July set out how much those increases are compared to this financial year. From the baseline of 2002-03, the increases are £1.5 billion more next year, rising to £2.6 billion the following year and yet again rising to over £4 billion in the last year of the three-year settlement.
I am sorry if that sounded like an introduction to Government finance, but I am afraid that some of our colleagues in the Opposition need that introduction, as they have never been in government and, I have to say, are never likely to be in government.
Today's announcement is about our spending plans, which cover the resources that are available to us and reflect the significant increases to our budget that result from increases in public expenditure across the UK.
The increases in our spending are significant and present a major opportunity in our drive to build a better Scotland. This is a budget for growth and opportunity. Growth will be secured by investing in Scotland's infrastructure to ensure that we have more competitive businesses and better public services; by prioritising investment in skills and enterprise to open up opportunities and create the foundation for Scotland's future; by investing in our children and Scotland's young people to give them the best start in life, more choices and the opportunity and confidence to build their future; and by taking action to improve radically the quality of life in communities across Scotland.
We are concerned less with how we divide up what we have and much more with how we use all that we have to secure growth and prosperity for Scotland. We want growth that will promote and sustain improvement in the daily quality of life in towns, cities and villages across Scotland, and that will protect the environment of our land and improve the environment of our streets. That is what devolution is about. This announcement is about how devolution delivers. We seek real debate about the real choices that we need to make about how we use the resources that we have to generate more resources, to improve lives and to build a better Scotland.
The level of investment that I outline today is made possible by the sound economic management of the UK Government. Devolution—our partnership with the United Kingdom—guarantees Scotland a fair share of UK resources. The agreed formula delivers for each person in Scotland—pound for pound, person for person—the same increases as in England. Those come as of right.
Over the first six years of devolution, resources for Scotland will have grown by more than 25 per cent. The nationalists, with their constitutional wrangling and drive for separation and divorce from the UK, could never match those resources. The Conservatives would neither raise those resources nor use them for the good of Scotland's people.
In every speech that I have made in this chamber as Minister for Finance and Public Services, I have said that the money that we spend is the people's money—money raised from business and hard-working families. Every day they try to get the best out of the money that is available to them. In the same way, we must ensure that every pound of their money that we spend brings direct benefit and produces the right results.
Today we are setting out a new approach. There will be written agreements for delivery. We will set out and publish targets, and we will harness expertise. That approach is part of our drive to secure best value and improved performance across the public sector.
My job as Minister for Finance and Public Services is not finished today. My job is to secure best value from every pound of public money. The proposals that we set out today confirm our commitment to delivering on the promises that we have made.
The scaremongers said that we would not be able to afford our ambitious agenda. We can. We were told that there would not be enough money to deliver on student support, to modernise the teaching profession or to provide free personal care. There is. The plans that we set out today confirm the funding for our key policy commitments. However, they go further—much further. They will provide resources to unlock the potential of Scotland's people, to give support when it is needed, and to offer life choices and chances at every stage. This is a budget for every man, woman and child in Scotland.
Building on the free nursery place that is available to every three and four-year-old, we will deliver the largest ever school-building programme to start a step change in the quality of our schools. There will be a £1.15 billion investment package to build or refurbish 300 schools across Scotland by 2008-09, benefiting more than 80,000 children. We will deliver an improvement in the quality of school life—additional resources to increase the nutritional value of school meals, to tackle behaviour issues and to improve the school environment. We will deliver healthy and active children through new resources for the active primary schools programme. We will implement the next phase of the 21st century teaching agreement, meeting our commitments in full.
We are also investing in opportunities for our young people. By 2005–06 we will invest an additional £300 million per year in their opportunities and futures. Over the next three years there will be a new £40 million package of investment in vocational training and enterprise education in our schools. We will increase the number of modern apprenticeships to more than 25,000.
The pilot of education maintenance allowances has been one of the most successful ever. Members have asked when it will be extended. Today I confirm that there will be new money to extend the education maintenance allowance scheme across Scotland. That will ensure that every young person can continue to learn and improve their prospects and it will benefit directly around 40,000 young people in Scotland.
We will invest £40 million over the next three years in integrated children's services and an additional £110 million in early years intervention. That will deliver an integrated package of support from local authorities, voluntary organisations and health services to at least 15,000 vulnerable children under the age of five. Resources for sure start Scotland will increase by more than 150 per cent by year 3. There will be resources for outreach facilities, family centres, nurseries and playgroups, childminding and support for parents.
Along with thousands of pensioners throughout Scotland, we are looking forward to the introduction of free off-peak travel for pensioners in only 19 days' time. We are delivering on our commitments to improve the lives of our older citizens, not least our commitment to free personal care, which is benefiting 75,000 older people in Scotland.
I am delighted to announce that we will make additional investment in the central heating programme, which will benefit the over-80s and improve an additional 4,000 homes.
We are using Scotland's resources for all Scotland. For our rural communities, we will deliver additional support for our forestry strategy and our fishing industry. Our investment in infrastructure and public services will bring direct benefits for rural communities.
Our cities are central to the quality of life and well-being of Scotland. We are committed to ensuring that our cities are able to exploit fully their economic potential. Our spending plans will benefit cities through investment in the infrastructure and transport priorities that are required to support successful and dynamic city regions. There will be resources to tackle the economic, social and environmental blight of vacant and derelict land and we will invest further in public housing.
Investing in Scotland's health is an investment in Scotland's future; it is one of our key priorities. This budget delivers for health. There will be record levels of investment, which, as we have said, will rise by the end of the spending review period to more than £8 billion. That will deliver much needed improvements directly to front-line services. It will improve the treatment of coronary heart disease, strokes, cancer and mental illness. It will provide 1,000 community places for people leaving hospital; it will train more nurses and midwives; and it will increase the number of national health service consultants.
As I said earlier, the spending plans are targeted to make a difference now and for a lifetime. We are making a major investment in our national health service. Our commitment also extends to making a major investment in the national health of Scotland. We will use this step change in health expenditure to deliver a step change in health improvement. Our objective is to deliver a 20 per cent reduction in the number of deaths from cancer and a 50 per cent reduction in the number of deaths from strokes and heart disease.
We will double the money that we spend on health improvement, injecting more than £170 million into our new health improvement plan. That will be different from what has gone before. New resources will be ploughed into new initiatives and new approaches. Investment now will deliver benefits over a lifetime that are fundamental to a good quality of life.
Also fundamental to a good quality of life is freedom from the fear of crime. We will continue to invest in the fight against crime. We will invest £270 million over three years to maintain the front-line police effort and we will make policing more effective by investing £25 million in a modern communication system.
We have made good progress because, overall, crime is going down and detection rates are going up. However, we need to do more to tackle violent crime and drugs and to make our streets safer. We are matching our investment in front-line police services with significant new investment to improve our prosecution and court services—detecting crime, catching criminals and speeding up prosecution and punishment.
We will invest an additional £33 million over the next three years to deliver our agenda on youth crime. There will be action on youth courts and secure accommodation and there will be investment to secure a reduction in the number of persistent young offenders. We will invest an additional £30 million over the next three years to tackle the scourge of antisocial behaviour.
We will create more opportunities for people of all ages to take part in sport, which will encourage a more active lifestyle and improve the quality of people's lives. We will double our spending on sport over the spending review period, with money for school sport and a major new sporting facility.
Our commitment to improving the quality of life means taking decisive action on the environment. For too long, we have consigned most of our waste to landfill and our position at the bottom of the recycling league tables is unacceptable. Our firm commitment, which we will achieve, is to change that situation, but, in doing so, we need significant investment and a change of culture. As part of our commitment to sustainable development and environmental justice, we have provided for an unprecedented increase in spending on waste management. We will invest an additional £170 million to implement our national waste strategy over the next three years.
We will do even more to improve the quality of everyday life. We recently provided additional resources to make a major impact on the local environment, and communities throughout the country warmly welcomed those additional resources. Local authorities responded to the opportunity magnificently—our partnership with them proved itself in action. We were asked whether that investment would continue or whether it was just a one-off. I confirm today that over the next three years we will invest an additional £180 million in the quality of life programme. Our three-year commitment is to make our streets safer and cleaner, to reclaim our parks and open spaces and to tackle vandalism, graffiti and dog fouling. We will improve the quality of life for our people and our communities. Many people may not consider those issues as matters of high politics, but they matter in the daily lives of people in our communities, whose priorities are our priorities.
We know that the strength and growth of the Scottish economy are central to achieving our ambitions for Scotland, which means investing in skills and increasing access to opportunities for learning. We are making that investment. We will invest an additional £120 million for further education over the next three years. In higher education alone, we will invest an additional £60 million over the next three years for science and research.
We are supporting all our key industries. Over the next three years, we will provide an additional £23 million for the tourism industry, which employs nearly 200,000 people in Scotland. That money will include investment in a new major events strategy to make Scotland one of the top events destinations in the world.
An effective transport system is central to a thriving economy and strong communities. We will increase the level of investment in transport to over £1 billion per annum by 2005-06. With that massive investment, we will let a new 15-year Scottish passenger rail franchise and deliver our top-priority rail projects. We will invest in new rail lines across the country, including the development of connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. We will begin construction of the final part of the M74 into Glasgow and deliver public transport improvements across central Scotland, easing congestion and promoting more sustainable transport. We will begin preparation on the A8 and A80 motorway upgrades, which will complete the motorway network in central Scotland. We will continue to improve the existing trunk road network and tackle the congestion problems in Aberdeen.
Over the next three years, we will see massive investment in Scotland's infrastructure—in transport, schools, hospitals, housing, the water industry, waste and prisons. That investment will not only improve services but create opportunities and support thousands of jobs. Scottish business will benefit from our investment in skills and learning, science and research and modern transport links.
There has been much debate about business rates. Let me be clear that, since devolution, we have frozen rates at the 1995 level in real terms and kept the rates burden at the same level as in England. That is a good deal for business in Scotland, but we want to do even better. For next year, we will freeze the business rate poundage at the current level, which will reduce rates by £35 million a year in real terms. For the rest of the spending review period, we will stick to our commitment to limit rate increases to the rate of inflation, with, as I have said previously, the obvious caveat that there are no dramatic changes in our economic circumstances. Therefore, the rates responsibility for Scottish business for the next three years will be lower in real terms than it is today, and lower than it has been since the early 1990s. We are using the levers of government to create the conditions for growth and the opportunities for enterprise.
The proposals that I have outlined will create a healthier Scotland, a wealthier Scotland, a safer Scotland and a growing Scotland in which there is opportunity for all. We believe in better public services, not constitutional wrangling; stability in devolution, not risk from separation; and investment in growth, schools and hospitals, not tax increases to fund divorce. The results that will count will be the growth in Scotland's economy and ambition. I commend these plans to the Parliament.
The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement.
I thank the minister for his statement. I welcome any increase in expenditure if it delivers real benefits for the people of Scotland. I also welcome his climbdown in ceasing to claim that all the money that he is spending is new money from the spending review.
Will the minister confirm that he accepts that the SNP was right this weekend when we said that of the £1.5 billion increase for 2003-04, £1 billion had already been announced by the minister's predecessor's predecessor—now the First Minister—in the previous spending review in 2000 and already included in the budget and that another £224 million was already announced in the Scottish budget statement in April as coming from the health consequentials of this year's UK budget? Could the minister get the people who brief on his behalf to cease the practice of counting, double counting and triple counting, which results in announcements—no doubt welcome to the minister—such as those in Sunday's papers, that £8.3 billion extra would be his to dish out today? That figure bears no relation to any reality and demeans not only the minister's office, but the whole political process.
Finally, given that the Labour manifesto for the 1997 election said that
"The level of public spending is no longer the best measure of the effectiveness of government",
will the minister tell us when we are going to hear less about figures, which get larger as they get less credible, and more about real results on the ground? The Labour party has been in power for five years. The minister claims that he is spending record sums, yet the reality on the ground is a failure to deliver. When will the Government deliver?
That was the full checklist of SNP whingeing. That shows its inability to welcome new resources for Scotland and to recognise that our spending statements focus on the purpose of the money. The SNP simply talks about the delivery of big numbers.
I want to point out to the SNP—I am slightly confused as to what its policy is these days—that this is a spending review. We spend the money. That is the purpose of a spending review. Yes, it happens every two years and yes, it is a three-year spending review. Oh my goodness, in year 3 there is an overlap. Are SNP members really surprised about that? Do they understand the basics of economic management? [Interruption.]
The SNP compares the Executive and its work to a fiddle and a diddle and all that Enron nonsense. John Swinney is surrounded by people who spend Scotland's money hand over fist every week.
Answer the question.
He cannot stop me, because he said at the start of his leadership that he would cost all—[Interruption.]
Order.
I will finish on this point. It started with fiscal autonomy, and it became full fiscal freedom, then independent financial control, then financial independence, then economic independence—[Interruption.]
Order.
It is still financial independence. I think that it is a lot of rubbish.
I ask members to calm down and let members ask their questions. We cannot have any answers unless we have the questions.
I hope that Mr Kerr keeps taking the tablets.
What we heard today was very interesting. At the beginning of the statement we were told about money that was coming from the wonders and the wonderful performance of the UK Government. Then the minister slipped in a minor acknowledgement that all the money comes from the working people. The statement is a failed opportunity. There is so much to spend, but the minister spreads it around without any detailed targets. For example, the minister talks about police—
Mr Davidson, are you working towards a question?
I am working towards a question.
As I said, the minister mentioned the police, but we still have no answer about how many new officers will appear on the beat. The Conservatives will not be like the SNP. There are things in the statement that we welcome such as free personal care, which has been a Conservative policy for some time.
I want to ask another question.
Mr Davidson, you have been on your feet for a minute and a half. Please come to your question.
The minister mentioned youth crime. What does he mean by that? Are both Executive parties agreed on the policy? How much of the figure of £1 billion for public transport infrastructure will come from tolls and congestion charges? Why is it that the business rate that he has tinkered with cannot be reduced to the same poundage that applies in England?
I am surprised. When Mr Davidson takes the opportunity to read our document "Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2003-2006", he will find out what the money buys. He will see objectives and targets and also the regime that the Executive is putting in place to ensure that the money is spent wisely. As I have said every time I have spoken on the subject, I recognise where the money comes from; it comes from the businesses and people of Scotland. It is our absolute commitment to ensure that that money is spent wisely.
We support record numbers of police in Scotland and a record health spend. We are doubling our investment in health improvement. Throughout the spending review statement, we have announced new commitment after new commitment about how we will make Scotland a better place. The spending review is about skills, transport, opportunity and growth. The Executive is focused on that. We see the value of a thriving business community. That is the other side of the same coin with which the Executive spends on our communities and the quality of life. Without one side, one does not get the other, which is why we are absolutely focused on opportunity and growth.
I have tried to work out what the question was that Mr Davidson asked when he made his earlier comments, but I have failed to do so. We can perhaps deal with those matters in a later debate.
I want to ask a constructive question after the whinge from the nationalists. I am surprised that such a well-qualified man as David Davidson, who has had so many interesting careers, could not even get a question out.
We welcome the statement on health promotion. The minister mentioned expenditure on sport. If a joined-up approach is not taken between the health services, education and social work, the minister's laudable aims could be derailed. I seek an assurance that a joined-up approach will be taken. Will the minister ensure that the various services work together?
Absolutely right. Our drive to work in partnership at local level—through community planning and local government working with health boards at a local level—is making a substantial difference across Scotland in how public services are delivered.
On health improvement, I refer members to today's figures and the work done by a professor on obesity. I am aware of the trap that we will get into in Scotland's health with regard to those issues. We know that we must do better on health improvement and changing the culture in which we do it. That cannot be achieved by a local authority, health board or voluntary organisation; it will be achieved by people working together in partnership.
Running through our spending review document, members will see the cross-cutting initiatives that we have taken. They will also see an assurance that the spending agreements that I have made with individual ministers mean that the money will be spent in the right areas. That will ensure that initiatives on health, education, crime, transport and jobs can be joined together to make Scotland a better place.
Like Jamie Stone, I warmly welcome the doubling of expenditure on health improvement. I also welcome the resources that are being put into waste recycling, which is an issue that the minister and I have championed in the past.
Will the minister confirm that growth is central to the realisation of our ambitions for Scotland? Can he give us further information on how the spending review will help Scotland's businesses to grow?
Absolutely right. We are committed to economic growth and the creation of opportunities in our communities. We should also not forget some of the achievements of devolution to date, including modern apprenticeships—now up to 20,000—spin-out companies around Scotland, the use of regional selective assistance and the work that we have done in partnership with business.
We want to increase that opportunity and growth, which is why we have extended the education maintenance allowances that will change the lives of young people. This morning, I visited a hospital in Edinburgh to see the work done there in respect of modern apprenticeships. I saw the sheer value that young people get out of modern apprenticeships and the changes and difference that those apprenticeships make to the lives of young people through good-quality training in a safe, secure environment. Modern apprenticeships provide the people for the jobs, which is much required in our health facilities. That is the dual benefit of modern apprenticeships. The business community is crying out for well-trained young people and we are providing them through that scheme.
The funding that we are making available for science in the universities and for higher education and further education in general will combine to ensure that we get the desired results from working in partnership with business. We are having lengthy and on-going discussions with the business community about how, on the education side, we provide a trained and skilled work force and how, on the transport side, we allow our people and businesses to move around Scotland. Our major focus is on providing opportunity and ensuring growth, and I think that we have achieved that in this spending review.
The minister has described the budget as a budget for growth. Will he estimate its impact on the growth rate of the Scottish economy over each of the next three years? Moreover, how much of the additional money for further education will be earmarked to deal with the cash crisis in a number of our colleges?
We have not worked through the final figures on job growth. However, I can tell the chamber that 7,000 jobs are coming on board as a result of the housing stock transfer. Furthermore, more jobs will be created through the public-private partnerships for schools in Scotland. Half the civil engineering contractors are involved in the water industry in Scotland and are providing much-valued work, jobs and training. Our investment in Scotland's infrastructure will ensure that we provide opportunities not just for construction jobs but for the growth of wealth.
As for further and higher education, we are investing in infrastructure and skills to ensure that we establish the vital link between universities and the business community that business keeps telling us about. We will maintain and develop that link for the benefit of the Scottish economy.
I welcome the minister's statement, which is very good news for Scotland. I am delighted that he has announced the development of a rail link to Glasgow airport—and, to be fair, to Edinburgh airport. He will be aware that there has been overwhelming support in Glasgow and west central Scotland for such a link. Will he say a little more about the timetable that the Executive envisages for the development of that vital piece of transport infrastructure?
All major infrastructure projects require a lot of preparatory work. However, we have secured the required resources within the spending review to deal with whatever comes our way as far as that development and our many other infrastructure projects throughout Scotland are concerned.
Bill Butler mentioned Glasgow and Edinburgh, and details of our investment in those great cities and others in Scotland will become clear over the coming weeks through the cities review. We seek to ensure that cities play a pivotal cultural role in the Scottish economy and a vital part in providing employment in city regions. Through the cities review and the initiatives that I have outlined in the spending review, cities will once again become a key focus for the Executive. We will ensure that they survive, develop and thrive.
The minister referred to tackling congestion in another Scottish city—Aberdeen. Will he confirm that he is prepared to make a commitment to fund the modern transport system that has been asked for? Will that investment include full funding for the western peripheral route and, if so, when will that happen?
As Brian Adam and I know, the north-east Scotland transport partnership and other bodies in Aberdeen have been carrying out a lot of work on the issues. We should let those studies and that work be carried out. It is not for ministers—nor for SNP members, who will never become ministers—to make commitments outwith the confines either of such professional studies or of work with communities on planning processes.
Will there be new money?
We have set aside new money to deal with the findings of the studies that NESTRANS and others in Aberdeen have carried out and that money will be used to ease congestion and invest in other initiatives in Aberdeen such as park-and-ride schemes. By making those investments, we will tackle the congestion problem. Once the studies are concluded and the information on roads becomes available, the Executive will deal with matters as and when they arise.
I welcome the minister's statement. Whether we are talking about investment to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour or investment in better opportunities for Scotland's young people, the spending review addresses the real priorities of many people across Scotland.
As people in Aberdeen are also concerned about transport issues, I welcome the minister's commitment to tacking congestion in the city. Will the minister assure the people of Aberdeen that the vital role that the north-east plays in contributing to the Scottish economy will be fully recognised when detailed decisions about investment in a modern transport and industrial infrastructure are made?
That is correct. I spent time in Aberdeen when I was convener of the Transport and the Environment Committee and when the Parliament sat there. I met business people and members of the community and we talked about civic and wider interests.
I understand the strategic role that Aberdeen plays in Scotland, the UK and the world, particularly with regard to the oil and gas sector. We also recognise that organisations in Aberdeen—the chamber of commerce, the business community and the local authority—are working collectively to come up with the best solutions for Aberdeen. Through the spending review, we are taking cognisance of that work and putting resources behind it to ensure that we tackle congestion in and around Aberdeen.
The minister could hardly contain his excitement in announcing that he considers that business rates have been frozen. Is that the start of a faltering journey by the Scottish Executive minister towards a uniform business rate that relies on the process of convergence?
I hate to disappoint the member, but we have uniform business rates and, because of the difference in re-evaluations north and south of the border, the tax take in Scotland remains the same as the tax take in England and Wales. That is the point of the discussions I have had with the business community. The same burden is imposed on Scottish business as is imposed on business in England. Because properties in England and Wales go for more than in Scotland, we adjusted the rate poundage, to deal with the variance in the cost of property.
I do not know whether Annabel Goldie welcomes the statement. We have listened to, learned from and acted on what Scottish business wants. The economy will grow through our spending review statement and money will be spent on transport. All that work has been done in full cognisance of what the business community seeks for Scotland. Again, I commend what the spending review statement says about opportunity and growth and about working with business and the community for a better Scotland.
I take the minister back to the subject of public transport. I welcome the massive additional investment that he has announced today. How will he target the money to ensure that current blocks in the rail infrastructure programme, such as the Larkhall rail extension, which has been planned and costed and for which money has been made available, will be alleviated so that work can begin as a matter of urgency?
As the member is aware, the money exists for that project. Issues relating to its management and its role are on-going. Through the 15-year franchise, we want Scotland to develop the strategic rail network, not just for commuters but for business. That refers back to our twin approach to opportunity and growth in the Scottish economy. That is what we seek to do.
The money is available and has been assigned to the project but, in addition, we seek to secure a good deal for Scotland that will provide the rail facilities that we require to move freight, commerce and people around Scotland more effectively.
Will the minister confirm that the record support for Scotland's local authorities that was announced today will allow our local councils to continue to provide record numbers of police, to invest in our schools and to provide free personal and nursing care for the elderly? Will he also confirm whether councils will be allowed to use some of the additional £180 million that was announced for quality of life initiatives, to tackle not just symptoms, such as vandalism and graffiti, but the root causes, by investing in improved community facilities, for example for sports and leisure?
I welcome the recognition of the role that quality of life has played in the debate today.
I have the opportunity to go through press cuttings from all over Scotland. Members should read them to learn that local authorities have used the money to focus on dealing with graffiti removal, opportunities for children, skateboard parks and doing up public parks. The money has been used wisely and effectively. That is why, in concert with local authority representatives, we have chosen to continue the quality of life initiatives. Iain Smith is right—we need to allow local authorities to make decisions and to deal with young people in their communities.
Recently, I visited a youth centre in Milngavie. There has been an 80 per cent drop in calls to the police because—surprise, surprise—the kids have something to do. It is a great facility and we can learn from it.
We can roll out such projects across Scotland, giving opportunities to young people not to get involved in hanging about on street corners, innocently or otherwise, intimidating the public and causing concern in their communities. Such projects will give young people opportunities through training, work in schools and, in particular, through sport. By packaging all that together in the cross-cutting way that colleagues have mentioned, we are presenting opportunities to young people across Scotland for better health, better sport, better engagement with their communities, better things to do and, if they get into trouble, better systems for dealing with that than we have now. The quality of life programme is a welcome partnership with local authorities and their partners, to ensure that we deliver effectively in our communities. It is delivering and it will continue to deliver.
I welcome the minister's statement, which is good for business, for people and for the environment. I would like to ask specifically about the welcome extra £170 million for the national waste strategy. That is great news for the environment in Scotland. Will the minister confirm that extra money will be made available to local authorities to develop their area waste plans, so that the completely unacceptable amount of waste that currently goes to landfill sites can be drastically reduced?
We recognised that the gap between the intention of area waste plans and the resources available to local authorities was too big. With the spending review, we have made an unprecedented increase in the resources available to ensure that, through their strategic waste plans, our local authorities work collectively to deliver landfill diversion and recycling. We are making our contribution not only to the environmental agenda but to the social justice and environmental justice agendas. Our local authorities will be pleased with what they have heard today, and I am sure that Ross Finnie was pleased when he heard about the money and resources being made available for the strategic waste fund. Today's announcement will introduce a step change in Scotland's position on recycling, almost at the bottom of the league table. That will change quickly.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. It would appear that the SNP members hate good news, and there is a lot of it going around this morning. Does that explain why there are only four SNP members in the chamber? Are they more interested in a headline than in the substance of Scotland's future?
That is clearly not a point of order. Given that there is a time limit for this item of business, it is not fair on the members who are still waiting to speak to raise such points.
I am sure that the minister will agree that, when the Government makes spending announcements, they should be clear, transparent and honest. On 15 July, the Government said in a press release that £1.5 billion of new money would be announced as a result of the UK spending review for next year, 2003-04. Today, Mr Kerr has just announced that there will be £1.5 billion for 2003-04, but that that will take account of the impact of the spending review of two years ago, the health budget announced in April and increases flowing from the spending review 2002. I have a simple question for Mr Kerr, and I want him to be honest and set the record straight. Taking those three factors into account, precisely how much of the new 2003-04 money will be the result of the UK spending review of 2002?
I took that point on board in my speech and answered it in a previous question. I tend to agree with Jim Sillars, who said in a recent article that Mr Wilson's brain is numbed by the work that he is doing on fiscal autonomy. The people of Scotland will understand that we are putting £1.5 billion to work in Scotland this year, £2.6 billion the following year and £4.1 billion the year after that. That real money is doing real things to change Scotland's lifestyle. I have said repeatedly in the media and in Parliament that the SNP either fundamentally fails to understand basic Government accounting systems or deliberately tries to talk down good announcements for Scotland. SNP members talk down Scotland itself and they whinge and moan, but they will never be able to deliver. [Members: "Answer the question."] I have answered the question and will continue to answer it. SNP members clearly do not understand spending reviews or accounting techniques. It is no wonder that a member of the press had to pass them a calculator at their 1999 press conference.
I congratulate the Minister for Finance and Public Services on his statement. As this item of business draws to a close, I invite him to let his imagination run away with him and assume that one of the members of the SNP—John Swinney, Alasdair Morgan or even Andrew Wilson—had been rising to their feet to deliver today's spending review statement. In those circumstances, the Iraqi preoccupations of the SNP would have been slightly different today from those that we heard yesterday. Had the spending review been delivered under so-called fiscal freedom, the freedom would have been to await the next meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Question.
Order.
This spending review—
Order. Ms Alexander, do you intend to put a question to the minister about matters within his responsibility?
My question is this: would Scotland be better served by the spending review that has been announced today, which is based on guaranteed spending, or by one that was dependent entirely on one volatile resource and an international situation whereby, if oil prices fell drastically, the funding of the Scottish health service could be at risk?
The question is whether Andrew Wilson—if he was ever in my place, which I doubt he ever will be—could cope with the spending demands of his colleagues on the back benches. Up and down Scotland, in local papers, SNP members make spending commitments. They do it almost weekly in the chamber. That is irresponsible.
Wendy Alexander is absolutely right. I hoped to make it clear in my statement that wasting time on wrangling, challenging and wasting resources and trying to fight what we get through the Barnett formula—which has guaranteed the pound-for-pound increase that Scotland gets to spend on its people—would result in not £4 billion of spending over the third year of the spending review, but a £4 billion deficit at the start of the spending review. That is the gap that would exist between the resources that are available and what would be available through divorce and separation. We know what we want to do with regard to investment in growth, schools and hospitals. The SNP wants to fund divorce; we want to fund public services.
Given the billions of pounds of taxpayers' money that the minister is throwing at the NHS, and in the light of the consistent rise in the length of waiting times and waiting lists since 1997, when can we realistically expect the Executive to deliver on its manifesto pledges on the health service, which date back to 1997? When can we expect a downturn in the length of waiting times and waiting lists?
I reassure the member that the Executive does not throw money at anything. Through its processes, it ensures that the money goes to work effectively. Changes are taking place with NHS modernisation. We have free personal care for the elderly; seven new hospitals; a national waiting times unit; 12 major investments in accident and emergency services; a fourfold increase in the number of one-stop clinics; NHS 24; and more doctors, nurses and dentists than ever before. That is just what we have done to date. The spending review also allows us to invest in more technology; more nurses and midwives; buildings and information technology; 1,000 community places for delayed discharge; the roll-out of NHS 24 across the country; the modernisation of general practitioner and dental facilities; and, crucially, the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS. It is through those measures that we will deliver.
Our spending review document lays out clearly the objectives that we seek to achieve through our resources. Those objectives are clear and measurable, and we will monitor them.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Throughout the debate, members who have asked questions of the minister have been told to keep their questions succinct and to the point. The minister has not replied to most of the questions, and has wandered off the subject. My question was specifically on waiting times and waiting lists. I asked when we could expect an improvement. I did not ask about hospitals or anything else. I urge the Deputy Presiding Officer to caution the minister on his replies.
Mr Wallace, you should be aware by now that standing orders do not cover the length or, indeed, the relevance of ministerial answers. Those are subjective, political points that would be better debated when we have ample time.
I have four brief questions for the minister.
They had better be very brief, if there are four of them.
How much money has been allocated to the delivery of the direct rail link from Glasgow airport to Glasgow city centre? Does the minister intend to allocate money to establish a minimum wage in Scotland's health service, to tackle the scandal of low pay? What is the estimated end-year flexibility that is contained in his statement? Given his welcome concern for the dietary ill health of the children of Scotland, will he reconsider making money available for universally free healthy and nutritious school meals?
I am mindful of the point of order that has been raised, but I would point out that we have set out clearly in our document objectives and targets for all the work involved in the spending review.
A study on links to Glasgow airport is continuing, with four shortlisted options. We will deal with that matter once the shortlisting process has been completed.
As Tommy Sheridan is well aware, the settlements that the Labour UK Government has introduced, including the national minimum wage and our provisions for the UK benefits system to support—
I was asking about Scotland.
The point about the national minimum—
What is the Executive doing in Scotland?
Order.
Tommy Sheridan asked four questions and I thought that I would try to give him four answers. I am perhaps starting to regret that.
The national minimum wage is supported through a number of benefits and measures in the UK and, with regard to our support for working families, in Scotland. I apologise to Tommy; I missed his point about end-year flexibility. Perhaps I could write to him on the matter.
Tommy Sheridan will know from my statement that we are seeking to secure enough resources to support the funding commitments that have been made and the nutritional values or levels that have been indicated in recent reports, which will ensure that Scotland's schoolchildren get proper, nutritious and attractive meals in schools. It is the focus of our resources to ensure that that happens.
I do not think that it is good to have universal provision of school meals. Through our education system, we provide choice and the opportunity to provide nutritious, high-value school meals to our children, ensuring that the content of those meals is correct. That is what the Executive will do through its investment.
We have gone just beyond the allocated time, but I will allow one final question, which I allocate to Mike Rumbles.
I genuinely still do not know what the minister means when he says that he will fix Aberdeen's congestion problems. Is he saying that he has identified and put aside the £247 million that is needed for the western peripheral route and the crossrail project? I know that the minister cannot commit to that now, but has that sum been put aside?
The point that I was trying to make is that the case for the western peripheral route is still being made; work is still going on. That is a statement of fact. We will seek to ensure that we deliver on other improvements in infrastructure and transport around Aberdeen. When the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning has the opportunity to discuss such matters later, we will ensure that the detail is rolled out. We cannot make major spending decisions until all the required work—including the option appraisals—is done. As I understand it, the work regarding the western peripheral route is not yet complete.
We seek to support the findings of that work as well as the work carried out by the north-east Scotland transport partnership—NESTRANS—and other public bodies in Aberdeen so as to ensure that we tackle congestion around the city. We need to await the outcome of that continuing work to ensure that the Scottish Executive can provide the resources.
I apologise to the six members whom I have been unable to call, but we need to conclude now.
Meeting suspended until 14:30.
On resuming—