Scottish government ‘failing to publish enough data on spending’

Last Updated: October 3, 2015By

The Scottish government has been warned by a spending watchdog that it is failing to publish enough data on public sector spending and borrowing, including billions of pounds worth of pension liabilities.

Scotland’s auditor general, Caroline Gardner, said Holyrood’s rapidly increasing tax and spending powers means it is increasingly important that the public has the fullest possible picture of how much is spent and owed by public bodies.

“It is becoming increasingly important to also understand the overall position of the devolved Scottish public sector as a whole, but there is currently no single set of accounts that shows the position,” Gardner said in her report on the latest Scottish government accounts, which detail overall spending of nearly £37bn by Holyrood.

“In the absence of easily accessible, aggregate information on what the devolved Scottish public sector owns and owes overall, it is difficult for the Scottish parliament, taxpayers and others to get a full picture and understanding about public spending and the longer-term implications for public finances.”

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s public services spokeswoman, said: “It is clear the consolidated accounts do not present a complete picture of the nation’s finances and there are serious questions to be answered about the gaps in data which fail to record the overall level of our debts. We could be in danger of leaving a mountain of debt for future generations.”

Weren’t pensions a bone of serious contention between the SNP and Labour during the run-up to the independence referendum? It seems to This Writer that this is an area that requires further investigation.

Source: Scottish government ‘failing to publish enough data on spending’ | Politics | The Guardian

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14 Comments

  1. rockingbass October 3, 2015 at 7:08 am - Reply

    HEY HO here we go again….The Scottish Government has to keep within budget….and dose so.If only Westminster’s accounts were so accurate..and truthful….which they are not as you all know……Always room for improvement……Like IDS?

    • rockingbass October 3, 2015 at 7:10 am - Reply

      The Scottish government underspends budget by £347m this year too….what was Westminster’s debt this year>>>!

      • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 1:30 pm - Reply

        The Scottish Government receives money from Westminster on the understanding that the Scottish money needs all of that money. You can’t attack the Westminster government for having an unnecessary debt when you’re not spending what it’s giving you – effectively contributing to that debt.

    • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 1:29 pm - Reply

      Who is being deprived of their basic needs because of the SNP underspend?

  2. Joan Edington October 3, 2015 at 11:47 am - Reply

    No argument there Mike.

  3. Gavin Proctor October 3, 2015 at 11:53 am - Reply

    Mike what are you playing at, you missed the actual problem here, the SNP are seriously economically conservative yet they have Scotland under their spell believing their “Anti-Austerity” agenda hook line and sinker whilst cutting like crazy and blaming all Scotlands problems on Westminster. This is the only bit of the Guardian article that anyone should actually care about:

    Opposition parties focused their attention on the auditor general’s confirmation that John Swinney, the Scottish finance secretary and deputy first minister, had underspent for the second year running by £347m. This was a lower underspend than initially predicted but Swinney had also underspent his budget from the Treasury by £444m in 2013/14.

    Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservatives’ finance spokesman, said: “The SNP has to get its story straight when it comes to balancing the books. On one hand it constantly complains about budget cuts from Westminster, and on the other it’s not even spending the money it has. There’s nothing wrong with running a tight ship and keeping money back for a rainy day. But you can’t then point fingers at governments doing the same thing just because they happen to be based in London in a bid to stoke up grievance and hostility.”

    I’m disappointed that Jackie Baillie is the one using the right wing neo-liberal scaremongering tactics and that you think a rant about “mountains of debt” is worth republishing on your website. I honestly don’t want you to moderate and publish this I just want you to read this and think about it seriously.

    • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 1:01 pm - Reply

      Get a grip, please. The whole article is about the fact that the SNP-led Scottish Parliament’s spending is being covered up and that far more transparency is needed.
      I didn’t publish the Scottish Conservative’s comment because the Tory agenda should be obvious to everyone. It would be counterproductive to publish anything that seems to approve of the Conservative Government’s spending cuts.

      • Gavin Proctor October 3, 2015 at 3:49 pm - Reply

        Now you are over-reaching, where in the article does it implicate a “cover up” Mike. The article states that there is a lack of transparency due to the complex arrangements involved in running a devolved parliament a cover up suggests deliberate manipulation, the problem here is a lack of accountability and clarity not a “cover-up”. Are you so desperate to attack the SNP that you aren’t able to form a coherent argument based in logic. There are lots of places to attack the SNP but the complex arrangements of devolved spending aren’t one of them.

        The Scottish Conservatives agenda is to attack the SNP for clear hypocrisy with regards to spending plans and it makes a lot more sense than anything you or Scottish Labour seem to have to say on the matter.

        • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 3:55 pm - Reply

          And you are nit-picking. It is clear that the Scottish government could publish all the information necessary if it so desired. It has failed to do so, indicating it does not wish to – so it is covering up the facts.
          There is nothing in the article to suggest there are problems due to the “complex arrangements involved in running a devolved parliament”. Lack of accountability points to a cover-up. Lack of clarity points to a cover-up.
          My argument is coherent and is based on the facts. I didn’t have to invent a line about “complex arrangements involved in running a devolved parliament”.
          I have already explained my opinion of the Scottish Conservatives’ position.

  4. Gavin Proctor October 3, 2015 at 4:28 pm - Reply

    “Complex arrangements of running a devolved parliament” was my allusion to the single quote in the article from the auditor.

    “It is becoming increasingly important to also understand the overall position of the devolved Scottish public sector as a whole, but there is currently no single set of accounts that shows the position,” Gardner said in her report on the latest Scottish government accounts, which detail overall spending of nearly £37bn by Holyrood.

    “In the absence of easily accessible, aggregate information on what the devolved Scottish public sector owns and owes overall, it is difficult for the Scottish parliament, taxpayers and others to get a full picture and understanding about public spending and the longer-term implications for public finances.”

    This to you implies a cover up.

    It seems you have been drawn into the article headline “failing to publish enough data on spending” which isn’t backed up by the articles contents and decided that there’s a cover-up because it fits your perception of the SNP. The article doesn’t state that it has failed to publish enough data, it states that there isn’t “easily accessible, aggregate information” meaning that the Scottish Government passed its audit and all the info was there but it was a massive pain the backside, none of which bothers me.

    What bothers me is that public sector workers in Scotland are under a pay freeze supposedly imposed by Westminster when the SNP has chosen to underspend by over half a billion in the last 2 years. If you and Labour want a legitimate reason to criticise the SNP it’s their hypocritical management of the economy and their choice to exacerbate the social damage of Austerity to increase their political power.

    • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 4:53 pm - Reply

      That’s right: “In the absence of easily accessible, aggregate information on what the devolved Scottish public sector owns and owes overall, it is difficult for the Scottish parliament, taxpayers and others to get a full picture and understanding about public spending and the longer-term implications for public finances” – because the Scottish government has chosen not to supply it. Cover-up. Clearly.

      “Failing to publish enough data on spending” is exactly what the Scottish government is doing – as evidenced by the passage you chose to quote. You can’t have it both ways. Please try to be rational.

      The article does say that the Scottish government has been told it is failing to publish enough data. The Scottish auditor-general, Caroline Gardner, said it. Passing the conditions of the audit does not mean the Scottish government has been totally honest about its financial behaviour and the auditor-general raised that as an issue.

      You’d better stop lumping me in with Labour – I am a member but this blog is independent and does not always agree with the party line. That’s lazy thinking on your part.

      The simple fact is that it is perfectly possible for all of us to maintain the position I have stated and also berate the SNP for freezing public sector pay, for its hypocritical management of the economy, and for manipulating voters’ perception of austerity.

    • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 4:53 pm - Reply

      Incidentally, Gavin, what’s your political affiliation?

      • Gavin Proctor October 3, 2015 at 5:25 pm - Reply

        I vote Liberal at council level, Green for Scottish Parliament, Labour at EU level, and until this last election Labour at the GE. I voted SNP this year but not as a favour to them (I believe the most effective way to destroy a politicians credibility is to give them a bit of power). Given the landslide there was no stopping it and to be fair to her Pat Gibson has been pretty good at her job, but no better than her Labour predecessor.

        I do apologise for the assumption of your political allegiances and any irritation I might have caused you this afternoon with my stubborness. I am a big fan of your work and wish you all the very best, this country is in need of all the hard-working independent journalists, commentators, bloggers and activists it can get.

        • Mike Sivier October 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm - Reply

          Accepted, and thank you for the kind words.

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