Spending figures to stay secret for year

azzuri · Spending figures to stay secret for year

Spending figures to stay secret for year

A major report into the executive's spending plans, which the Finance Minister promised to publish this year, has been shelved until after next May's Holyrood election.

Tom McCabe announced the setting up of an expert review group last October and a month later he told the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee he would publish the findings by spring this year, although that timescale was not "set in stone".

The Herald has learned that the minister has decided not to publish the report until autumn 2007, going against a direct promise he made to MSPs.

John Swinney, convener of the Finance Committee, accused the minister of breaking his word and called for him to be summoned before the committee to explain himself.

He said he could only assume that the report was a "damning indictment of their mismanagement of Scotland's finances" if the decision had been taken to bury it until after the next election.

A spokesman for the minister confirmed that the executive is in possession of the Budget Review Group's report, which would be "invaluable as a source of information and advice to aid better informed choices during the formulation and development of Spending Review 2007 decisions."

But the spokesman added: "Ministers and officials require time to deliberate and discuss the options for choices within the report.
"As it is an important part of our consideration of the next Spending Review we will publish the report as background information that informed our decisions when we announce the outcome of the Spending Review (ie. September 2007).

"Early indications are that the next Spending Review will be a time of lower growth in public spending.

"Ministers may need to make some careful choices and the outcome of the Budget Review exercise will assist with this. Later publication of this information provides ministers and officials with the time to explore and think through all the implications of particular options in private."
Mr McCabe told the committee on November 7 last year that he had appointed a group of eight external reviewers to challenge the baseline budgets throughout the Scottish Executive.

He added: "I would welcome the committee's co-operation as we undertake that review.

"I have no doubt that the committee will want to examine the outcome of the review. Following the review, I intend to publish a report in spring next year, although that timescale is not set in stone."

Mr Swinney said yesterday: "Tom McCabe has broken his word to the Finance Committee that he would allow the committee to look at this document, as he now considers it a private report.

"This flies in the face of all the government's rhetoric about openness and transparency."

When he announced the setting up of the group the minister said: "The group has five months to carry out their challenging review, but I am confident they will be in a position to provide a progress report by the end of January 2006, and the final report by the end of February 2006."

The group's remit covered the identification of those programmes that did not match with the Partnership Agreement priorities or were not performing well, and, where appropriate, to propose action and set out the implications of any proposed change.

The team, drawn mainly from local government, was led by Bill Howat, chief executive of Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar.

see - http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/68209.html

Reluctant Hero

Surely this is just one more nail in the coffin of the Labour administration in Scotland bom

Rinty · y

Surely a good case for invoking the freedom of information act?

SLG

Would a FoI request be likely to be answered that quickly?

But yes, the fact that they are keeping this report under wraps till after the election is not a good sign. They must have calculated that any damage caused by appearing to hide the report is less than that caused by the report itself once in the public domain.

azzuri

I think this would be a good reason to invoke the FOI act. Anyone fancy getting in touch with Angus MacNeil - he's generally good at stirring it up a bit with this type of stuff! Very Happy

Cado

The Freedom of Information Act is only of use if there is, actually, any information.

I'm therefore wondering if it would be of any use in this instance.

SLG

I was assuming that the report in question has been completed, they are just not publishing it.

Cado

It reminds me somewhat of being at school and you've forgot to do your homework.

"ah did do it sir, but, er, the dog ate it."