SNP’s NHS ‘hypocrisy’ as spend on private care escalates
ALEX Salmond has been accused of ‘hypocrisy’ regarding the NHS after it emerged spending on private healthcare has soared under the SNP.
The First Minister has repeatedly claimed a Yes vote is the only way to protect the NHS from privatisation – even though it has long been devolved to Scotland.
Now it has emerged that spending on private sector providers rose by 37 per cent in the first five years after the SNP came to power in 2007.
In 2012/ 13, the most recent Audit Scotland figures available, such spending had reached more than £80million – 23 per cent up on the previous year.
Unaudited figures for 2013/14 show a slight dip to £79million, far higher than previous years.
Scottish Labour – which spent less than £60million on the private sector when in power – says this is the result of SNP cuts in the health budget.
Neil Findlay, the party’s health spokesman, said: ‘It’s utter hypocrisy for Alex Salmond to claim that a No vote is a threat to the public nature of the NHS when his own party is bringing in privatisa-
‘Trying to make the NHS an issue’
tion by the back door. The NHS is not an independence issue – the SNP are trying to make it one because they have no answers on currency, but Scottish voters won’t be fooled.’
Labour says that, despite Mr Salmond’s warnings of Westminster cuts, he has failed to pass on all the money the Scottish Government receives from south of the Border. In 2009/10, Scots Ministers received £714million, but only allocated £414million, according to independent parliament analysts.
The findings blow a hole in the Yes campaign’s claims that separation will protect services which have already been devolved to Holyrood.
Mr Salmond has tried to argue that controversial moves to introduce private contractors in the English health service pose a threat to the Scottish budget – when i n fact the budget for England’s NHS is expected to increase from £105.6billion in 2013- 14 to £ 110.4billion in 2015-16. But a spokesman f or SNP Health Secretary Alex Neil last night continued to insist: ‘Labour voters are voting Yes because they know it is the only way to fully protect Scotland’s NHS from Tory Westminster cuts.’