Minister: SNP’s bloated benefits system bleeding cash from NHS

scOTlAnd’s bloated benefits bill is harming the nhs, according to a senior cabinet minister.

chief secretary to the Treasury simon clarke said the snP’s plan to increase spending on welfare has ‘serious ramifications’ for other government spending.

he also condemned snP ministers for allowing a massive tax gap to open up between scotland and the rest of the uk and urged them to consider cutting rates.

The scottish Government’s spending review set out how services, including councils, police, the fire service and universities, will face years of cuts amid a growing squeeze on public finances, while the total benefits bill will rocket.

in a briefing with scottish journalists, mr clarke said: ‘The broad logic of what the scottish Government spending review has done, and indeed their decisions over recent years, has been to choose to allocate considerably more to welfare at the expense of some other public services. And there are quite serious ramifications for the health service, the courts, etcetera as a result.

‘That is not a competency question, that is a choices question. it is an entirely legitimate decision of the scottish Government within its own powers to do that.’

On whether he agreed with the approach, he said: ‘They wouldn’t be my choices.’

The scottish Government spending review shows the cost of social security assistance will rise from £3.95billion this year to £4.96billion next year and £6.36billion in 2026/27. The cost of free bus passes will rocket by more than a third over the five-year period, from £373million to £500million.

in may, snP ministers announced they would increase the benefits they can by 6 per cent in response to surging inflation. They have also pledged to increase the scottish child Payment to £25 a week.

But people earning more than £27,850 continue to pay higher rates of income tax than in other parts of the uk. if the uk Government cuts the basic rate by 1p by 2024 and scottish rates remain unchanged, all scots on £14,732 or over would be paying more.

A spokesman for Finance secretary kate Forbes said: ‘The scottish Government will never apologise for doing our utmost to tackle child poverty with the limited powers we have.’