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Give taxpayers back the £4.5m Scotland spends on aid - MP"THE Scottish Executive's £4.5 million-a-year international development programme is illegal and the money being spent should be returned to the British taxpayer, a Conservative MP is demanding.
Ben Wallace, a former member of the Scottish Parliament, yesterday launched an attempt to make Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, use his legal powers to block the Executive's budget for assistance to developing countries.
Jack McConnnell last year set up the Executive's International Development Fund and visited Malawi. The scheme also funds some projects in Swaziland and Pakistan.
Last month, the Executive announced that spending on the scheme will rise from an annual £3 million to £4.5 million for the next two years.
According to the Scotland Act that reconvened the Scottish Parliament and defines which areas of policy are devolved, foreign affairs - including international development assistance and co-operation - are "reserved" to ministers in London.
Mr Wallace said that if the money was not being used to provide public services in Scotland, it should be given back to the Treasury. Yesterday, he wrote to Mr Alexander asking him to use his legal powers to veto the Executive's development spending.
"The Scottish block grant is not to fund the First Minister and officials to fly off on vanity trips. It is to be used in Scotland for Scotland," Mr Wallace said. "If it is not then UK taxpayers should have their money returned."
But government officials in London and Edinburgh yesterday insisted the Executive had not, in fact, broken the law.
They pointed out that the Act contains an exemption for any work "carried out by Scottish Ministers to assist Ministers of the Crown".
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive last night insisted that the international development scheme therefore does not break the law, because it was formally agreed with the Department for International Development in London.
"Scotland's devolved government has worked closely with the UK government on the International Development Fund which is categorically not illegal or outwith its powers," she said.
"We make absolutely no apology for supporting Scottish projects that are helping people and saving lives in some of the world's poorest countries.
"These include Malawi, a country that Scotland shares long and strong historic ties with."
A Scotland Office spokesman last night declined to comment on Mr Wallace's letter, saying Mr Alexander would respond "in due course".
Helping overseas
JACK McConnell announced the creation of the Executive's International Development Fund in March last year, ahead of his official visit to Malawi.
He said he would use £9 million over three years to support Scots aid agencies.
Because the Executive has no official aid role, the money has to go to charities on the ground, not to governments.
It has been used to train teachers, nurses and other front-line staff. The fund has since increased to £4.5 million a year. Much of the money has gone to Malawi, which is twinned with Scotland.
A total of 35 projects based in Malawi have been given £5.25 million, out of the £7.7 million handed out so far to 58 projects worldwide.
Some of the projects which have benefited are: Deaf Action, which works with deaf people from Scotland, Malawi and Swaziland and Mercy Corps Scotland, which is working to improve the health of earthquake-affected communities."
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Some great examples here - Jack Mconnell looking out for himself and playing at president, and the Tories jumping on any old thing to attack holyrood.
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Reluctant Hero
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If Mr Wallace had said the £4.5 million might have been better spent in getting Scottish people off the streets etc etc then he may have won a few supporters.
But because he allegedly said "if the money was not being used to provide public services in Scotland, it should be given back to the Treasury.", this stinks of cheap political point scoring to me.
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Scott2006
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I don't think the Scottish Executive has done anything constitutionally wrong with the money as they did it with the co-operation of the UK government department. The ex-MSP is made to look as if he is against aid to third world countries. Which makes him rather backward looking and small minded.
Who is the Conservative MP mentioned? Or has the ex-MSP been parachuted into a safe Tory seat?
I don't think i'd object if they spent £10 million a year on such projects. The Executive helps the less fortunate countries in the world and so long as the money is not wasted giving dictators the chance to buy the latest Rolls Royce it comes across as rather good for the Executive.
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"Who is the Conservative MP mentioned? Or has the ex-MSP been parachuted into a safe Tory seat?"
Wallace gave up his seat in the Scottish parliament for a safe tory seat in England apparently.
It was all going to Scottish charities working out there anyway - so I dont think it breaches anything, cutting it fine though.
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SLG
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I think it's a fair point. The Executive should not be spending money allocated to run devolved services in Scotland in this way. If JMcC wants to take a hand in foreign aid, he should demand that Westminster allocate the Executive 10% of the UK international aid budget with which they can spend as they see fit.
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Highlander
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I totally agree with SLG. It is not in the remit of the exectuvie to spend that money on international matters.
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I think we'll start to come across more issues like this especially once there are two seperate governments in power at Holyrood and Westminster the conflict between the two should provide some interesting sparks.
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SLG
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While I've said I don't think the devolved government should be spending its money in this way, I am glad that McConnell is doing this. It's just another sign that whatever party, give a politician some power and he'll want even more. McConnell wants to make a bigger name for himself and whoever follows him, from whatever party, will want to do the same.
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Highlander
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Its a bad sign that devolving powers away from a central government creates a situation where people act out with their remit. I don't want to see local councillors next lining up to spend the council tax on international affairs. That would be crazy but yet if the executive is allowed then I want to see my council tax money being spent on services abroad.
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George
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| Highlander wrote: | | Its a bad sign that devolving powers away from a central government creates a situation where people act out with their remit. |
This is exactly the kind of 'uncle tam' stuff that makes me sad. What is it about you unionists that you feel the need to pull down your own nation when she makes any attempt, however small, at autonomy.
So the Westminster based parliament hasn't given the Scottish parliament permission to spend some money in this way; who f***ing cares. It is our own bloody money, we paid into the collective pot and were rewarded with our 'pocket money'.
For goodness sake try not to be so subserviant man and at least appreciate that from time to time us Scots can still make the odd decision without consulting Westminster.
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wisnaeme
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Aye, I agree with ye on this one "George". Better to patronise a good cause and do some good to folk who are in desperate need regardless of who's political ego needs massaging or whatever.
I would rather patronise that than suffer being patronised by empty headed, unionist dogma that today's Scotland neither needs nor wants.Some folk should have a little compassion for others. Want and need are relative, give a street begger here less than 50p and yer liable to get a cursing. Giving the same help to some needy person abroad in desperate circumstances without a hope of a better future, the means to do so and so help them to rise out out of their misery could mean the difference between a better life and death. Exaggerating, I don't think so.Selfish Tory, negative point scoring, unionist B*stard, so yer man is.I think it is a lack of humantarian priciples not a political agenda driven principle that the shallow Mr Ben Wallace should be questioning and pursuing. Sad isn't it.
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Aventinian
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It is, strictly speaking, malfeasance and I cannot support that. It's an illegitimate use of tax-payer's funds and an abuse of the democratic principle.
All the same, as government corruption goes, this is probably the best kind. What I'd do is slice a bit off the Executive budget for next year and put it into international development. In fact, slice a lot off of the executive's budget and put it into international development!
| George wrote: | | This is exactly the kind of 'uncle tam' stuff that makes me sad. What is it about you unionists that you feel the need to pull down your own nation when she makes any attempt, however small, at autonomy. |
The Scottish Executive isn't a nation, it's an organ of the state. And one that is misgoverning and rejecting the democratic principle in acting outwith its remit.
| Quote: | | So the Westminster based parliament hasn't given the Scottish parliament permission to spend some money in this way; who f***ing cares. It is our own bloody money, we paid into the collective pot and were rewarded with our 'pocket money'. |
It's the taxpayer's money and should be spent by Parliament in the ways instructed. Not run off with by some jumped-up ministers on a power-trip.
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