Almost £50 billion was spent by the Scottish Government last year
on public services to help tackle child poverty, reduce carbon
emissions, support the NHS and secure pay deals, according to
newly published official figures.
The Provisional Outturn, which compares actual spending with the
funding commitments set out in the Budget, shows that the
Scottish Government spent £49.3 billion in the 2023-24 financial
year. There was £292 million remaining – representing 0.6% of the
Scottish Government's total budget – all of which has been
carried over through the Scotland Reserve to be directed towards
priority areas in 2024-25.
In 2023-24 the Scottish Government:
- spent nearly £5.2 billion on social security
benefits. This includes £429 million on Scottish Child
Payment, alongside funding to introduce Carer Support Payment in
pilot areas, ahead of full roll-out in 2024, and to widen
eligibility for Best Start Foods
- invested more than £19 billion in health and social care,
supporting recovery and reform to secure sustainable public
services, while delivering a pay uplift for NHS staff
- provided nearly £220 million to the Heat in Buildings
Programme to help deliver greener and more energy efficient homes
- continued providing Just Transition Fund grant funding,
including £16.8 million for projects in the North-east and Moray
regions, in addition to £3 million to help vulnerable global
communities address loss and damage brought on by climate change
- invested almost £422 million on bus services and
concessionary fares, providing up to 2.3 million people in
Scotland with access to free bus travel.
Public Finance Minister said:
“These figures show once again how this government is prudently
and competently managing the public finances while delivering
funding for the things that matter to people across Scotland, not
least the NHS and action to tackle child poverty.
“The Scottish Government has consistently balanced its budgets
each and every year. This represented a significant challenge
last year, as the continued impact of persistently high
inflation, pressure on public sector pay, backlogs as a result of
the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine combined to place
pressure on the public finances.
“We are not allowed to overspend, so must leave ourselves with
the headroom to manage any unexpected shocks or issues. The
remaining funding has been allocated in full in 2024-25, allowing
us to implement measures at the most optimal time rather than
being constrained to a single financial year.”
Background
Provisional Outturn
2023-24: Ministerial speech
The Provisional Outturn figures will be finalised later in the
year once the Scottish Government and other devolved public
bodies complete their year-end audits.
The remaining budget of £292 million is made up of £162 million
resource and £130 million capital.
The figures also show a £1.1 billion non-cash underspend. The
non-cash element of the Scottish Budget is ringfenced for use in
technical accounting adjustments, and it is therefore not
possible for the Scottish Government to use it for day-to-day
spending. A large proportion, circa £0.9 billion, of this
budget relates to non-cash consequentials for student loan
impairments which are not required at the same level in Scotland
because of the policy of free university tuition.
