Question reference: S6W-07371
- Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 17 March 2022
-
Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 March 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent level of police, public order and safety spending per person in Scotland, and how this compares with (a) England and (b) Wales.
Answer
The 2021 Country and Regional Analysis (produced by HM Treasury) includes analysis of expenditure on public services in Scotland and comparisons with other parts of the UK as a whole. In 2020-21 public order and safety spending in Scotland was £3.1bn. On a per capita basis, spending in Scotland was 11% higher than in England and 7% higher than in Wales, as shown in the following table:
Public Order & Safety Expenditure (per capita)
2020-21 (£) | |
Scotland | 569 |
England | 512 |
Wales | 534 |
Source: Country and regional analysis: 2021: Country and regional analysis: 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Spending on public order and safety includes expenditure on a number of areas including police, prosecution, criminal courts, the prison and probation services, and the fire services.