Public spending & reporting

Scotland

Scotland will benefit from schemes announced in the Spending Review:

Growth

at least an additional £250 million through the Green Investment Bank available for investment in Scotland, subject to the Scottish Government agreeing to the drawdown of the Fossil Fuel Levy Surplus for spending on renewable – together with the Renewable Heat Incentive, this should mean increased funding for green investment in Scotland of over £500 million;
£530m of investment in broadband, benefiting a total of around 2 million households, including in some of the most remote areas of the UK. The Government will also pursue superfast broadband pilot projects in the Highlands and Islands, benefiting thousands of households in this area; and
Certain capital projects of UK departments will benefit Scotland:
- £5.2bn project for two new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will continue to be funded by MOD – the expected value of QE Class construction work and associated sub- contracts in Scotland is around £1.5bn
- the Astute class submarines programme will continue – seven submarines will be based at HM Naval Base Clyde

uprating of the Basic State Pension (BSP) by the highest of earning, prices or 2.5 per cent, from April 2011, benefiting around 1 million people in Scotland; and
above indexation increases in the child tax credit, funded by savings from restricting child benefit entitlement for households with a high rate taxpayer, potentially benefiting over 320,000 families in Scotland.

over the last year there has been a 1.6 per cent fall in employment and a 1.4 per cent rise in unemployment; and
the public sector workforce is 25.1% of the total workforce.

The Spending Review builds on the foundations for sustainable, balanced, private sector-led recovery set out in the Chancellor’s June Budget. The Budget announced a number of initiatives which will help build an economy that works for Scotland.