Report focuses on fall in health spending

Scottish health spending per person is currently 3% higher than in England, compared with 22% at the start of devolution, according to a leading thinktank.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said increases in health spending in Scotland have been significantly smaller than in England, under both Labour and SNP-led administrations.

As a result, per capita health spending in Scotland went from being 22% higher than in England in 19992000, to 10% higher in 2009-10 and just 3% higher in 2019-20.

Overall spending on public services is currently 27% higher in Scotland, with the IFS saying this largely reflects the impact of the Barnett formula.

The IFS released a briefing note comparing spending on public services between Scotland and England.

On education, it found that spending per pupil was higher in Scotland than in England. The IFS noted that spending on earlyyears provision and a range of other nonhealth services was much higher in Scotland than in England.

Ben Zaranko, one of the report’s authors, said: “Per-person spending in Scotland is higher than in England for virtually all public services, but devolution allows the Scottish Government to make different choices from the UK Government over which services to prioritise.

“Over the past two decades, under both Labour and SNP-led administrations, the NHS has been prioritised to a lesser extent than in England.

“As a result, Scottish health spending per person is now just 3% higher than in England, versus 22% at the start of the devolution.”