Finance and Public Administration Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Official Report 617KB pdf

Budget (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Agenda item 2 is consideration of the Budget (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. We are joined for this item, again, by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy. Her officials remain present for this session but are unable to participate in formal stage 2 proceedings. Members will be aware that three amendments have been lodged. They should have before them the groupings and the marshalled list, which were circulated directly by the legislation team.

Section 1 agreed to.

Schedule 1—The Scottish Administration

Amendment 1, in the name of the cabinet secretary, is grouped with amendments 2 and 3.

Amendment 1 increases the social justice, housing and local government portfolio authorisation in schedule 1 to the bill by £120 million. Amendment 2 increases the total amount of resources of the Scottish Administration in schedule 1 to take account of that additional £120 million. Amendment 3 increases the overall cash authorisation for the Scottish Administration under section 4(2) of the bill by £120 million. In other words, these amendments give us the authorisation to draw down cash and the authority to spend it.

I move amendment 1.

Amendment 1 agreed to.

Amendment 2 moved—[Kate Forbes]—and agreed to.

Schedule 1, as amended, agreed to.

Section 2 agreed to.

Schedule 2 agreed to.

Section 3 agreed to.

Schedule 3 agreed to.

Section 4—Overall cash authorisations

Amendment 3 moved—[Kate Forbes]—and agreed to.

Section 4, as amended, agreed to.

Sections 5 to 11 agreed to.

Long title agreed to.

That ends stage 2 consideration of the bill. Again, I thank the cabinet secretary for her involvement this morning and for answering our questions earlier.