Scottish spending settlement brought up to £50bn

Revisions at the Spring Statement and Main Estimates from the Treasury has meant that the Scottish government will now receive £50 billion, an uplift from the previously-agreed £47.7 billion, which was already the largest real terms settlement in the history of devolution.

Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, said: “The UK government delivered the largest spending review settlement in the history of the Scottish Parliament, now Scots rightly expect to see the record funding deliver better results like lower NHS waiting lists, better attainment in schools, more police on the beat and more housing.

“I was very concerned this week to se that attainment targets for Scottish schools have been reduced and housebuilding has fallen by 4,000, meanwhile police officer numbers are lower than when police Scotland was established and 800,000 Scots are on the NHS waiting list.

“Where the government has responsibility for public services, we are seeing NHS waiting lists fall, more housing being built and more bobbies on the beat, all part of our Plan for Change. The historic funding deal for the Scottish government should be delivering similar results.