Chamber and committees

Parliament is currently considering the legislation on the national care service. A scrutiny process will be undertaken and it is for Parliament to consider all those issues through the proper process.

On the care sector, I recognise the financial challenges that individuals face, which is why the Government has put so much effort and energy—and resource, I might add—into strengthening the pay deals that are available to individuals in employment in the care service. We will continue to do as much as we possibly can, but the scale of the change that Jackie Baillie talks about would rather force her front bench to get off the fence a little bit about where the money would come from to enable that change to take place.

I am happy to participate in discussion and dialogue with Opposition parties about the budget’s priorities. I have already engaged with Mr Johnson on this question—indeed, I have engaged with all political parties—but we have to establish the ground rule that when people come forward with suggestions that will increase costs in the budget, they also have to tell us where the savings will come from.

I have set out what the perspective looks like in relation to the spending available from the UK Government in future years. It becomes extremely challenging in the later years of the spending review. I have engaged with the UK Government and set out the perspective of the Scottish Government, and we will continue to do that.

In relation to this financial year, I have encouraged the UK Government to recognise the extraordinary inflationary pressures with which we are wrestling. The UK Government has decided not to change the financial position this year, which increases the financial strain with which we are wrestling. I appeal to the UK Government to revisit these issues, which must be causing significant difficulties in UK departments. That call has been echoed by my colleague in the Welsh Government, who has made a similar plea to the UK Government.

I have been very open with the Parliament about the enormous constraints with which we are wrestling in this financial year, which is the first financial year in the history of the Parliament in which inflation has been a particularly significant factor. We have learned about the acute difficulty created by the limitations of our resource borrowing powers, and we have no ability to address the volatility other than by redirecting spending from one programme to another. Obviously, I have had to do that on two occasions.

As I indicated in my statement, I have not yet found a sustainable path for this financial year to fully balance the Scottish Government’s budget. Those are real practical issues. The UK Government has not indicated a willingness to address those questions, but I will continue to make that case to it.

We are taking steps in the budget to ensure that our expenditure focuses on delivering the outcomes that Mr Dey wants to secure. That will be a constant focus of the Government in taking forward the budget and ensuring that the agenda, on which we are making progress, can be intensified in the years to come.

There are two elements of the budget that are relevant in answering the very important question that Fiona Hyslop puts to me. The first is the investment that the Government is making of £50 million to further develop whole-family wellbeing, which is a holistic family-based support programme. We have also allocated £30 million in the budget to support our on-going commitment to the Promise. I hope that those two commitments give Fiona Hyslop, and the care-experienced community in Scotland, confidence in the sustained commitment of the Government to ensuring that we improve the opportunities and life chances of young people who have experience of care in Scotland.

Here we go again. Here we have another Conservative who does not believe in our raising tax to increase the size of the public purse, and who wants us to spend more money on a particular issue however important that policy commitment might be. Let me just—

The Covid recovery strategy is focused on reducing inequalities and tackling poverty, and the Scottish Government is using all available resources to support those in most need during the on-going cost crisis.

The Scottish Government annual accounts provide explanations of all significant variances in the portfolio outturn statements, and make it clear that the underspend that was reported does not represent a loss of spending power. The underspend includes more than £900 million of non-cash and ring-fenced budgets, it is before allowing for late funding adjustments of more than £500 million, and it makes use of the limited carry forward in the Scotland reserve. The Scottish Government has reported transparently at the provisional outturn and will confirm the final outturn position to Parliament shortly. All funding is fully utilised in supporting the 2022-23 budget.

I am absolutely delighted with the news that has come forward from Mangata Networks about the investment at Prestwick airport. The project has been a strong, collaborative one that has involved Scottish Enterprise, South Ayrshire Council, the Ayrshire growth deal and the Scottish Government. I am thrilled by the opportunities that it opens up for Prestwick, which is in Siobhian Brown’s constituency.

The talent attraction and migration service will assist us in supporting companies that are trying to attract individuals to work in particular ventures. I imagine that Mangata Networks will seek some support from that service to ensure that the particular skills that we need to contribute to the Scottish economy are attracted. The service will help us to overcome some of the significant obstacles as a consequence of the loss of the free movement of individuals, which followed the Brexit decisions.

The Scottish Government is prioritising funding to support people in most need and to protect the delivery of public services. The emergency budget review confirmed a range of additional support for people in most need, including the expansion of, and increase in, the Scottish child payment. That prioritisation is guided by the principles of the Covid recovery strategy.

The overarching ambition of the Covid recovery strategy is to reform public services to ensure that they are fiscally sustainable and delivered in line with the principles of the Christie commission. In the current context, we are considering all options for reform that will allow us to deliver that ambition and continue to deliver high-quality public services across Scotland, including in the city of Edinburgh.

The implications of the mini-budget in September will be long lasting for people and for the public finances of Scotland and the United Kingdom. The irresponsibility of that event—I cannot call it a fiscal event, because there was nothing fiscal about it—will have far-reaching implications. We have already seen significant increases in interest rates as a consequence of those decisions, and householders and businesses will be put under pressure as a result. I will have more to say about this in the budget statement tomorrow, but the Scottish Government will do all that we can to help people through the cost of living crisis. However, we have to acknowledge the severity of the difficulties that have been created by the mistakes that were made in the mini-budget in September.