Experts call for change to budget process

TOM GORDON

budgets are only published for single years. The report says the current budget cycle needs to be “substantially revised” to take account of new powers devolved by the 2012 and 2016 Scotland Acts, which mean Holyrood now raises around 40 per cent of its spending and controls £2.8 billion of social security. The expert panel said Scottish budgets would be “increasingly complex” and “subject to greater uncertainty and volatility” and made almost 60 recommendations for change.

Its key demand was a new “full year approach”, with Holyrood committees continually scrutinising spending decisions and gathering evidence to shape future ones.

It said committees should write to their relevant ministers at least six weeks before the budget was published setting out their policy priorities.

Ministers should also publish a report each September setting out tax data and information on how the fiscal framework between Edinburgh and London is operating.

Dame Sue Bruce, a member of the Budget Process Review Group, said: “The current process fails to deliver sufficient opportunity for Parliament to exert its influence over the Government during its budget preparation.”

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: “We welcome the conclusions in the report and will consider the specific recommendations over the summer.”