Ivan McKee
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“We understand that the SPSO assesses complaints to identify how they should be prioritised. The SPSO prioritises cases where a complainant is vulnerable or the matter is assessed as urgent and ongoing. The SPSO keeps people who are affected by delays informed. In 2024-25, the SPSO reduced the number of open cases by 15 per cent.”
“As part of our programme of public service reform, we are embedding openness, transparency and accountability into how services are designed, delivered and improved. Our next open Government action plan will set out an anti-corruption strategy and plans for improving public participation in decision making.”
“Will he agree to meet me and other members from across the chamber to discuss how we might work together to provide legal support for the Nolan principle of integrity in public life? Ivan McKee: I am very happy to meet the member to discuss that further. Such issues are hugely important to the Government.”
“How bad does the situation have to get before a full investigation is made? Ivan McKee: That would be a matter for the Parliament, not the Government. As an organisation, the ombudsman rightly sits separate from the Government.”
“More than £300 million has been saved through more efficient procurement in the past two years and we are projecting savings of more than £50 million through the rationalisation of estates—13 core Scottish Government buildings have been closed in the past three years and there are more to follow.”
“I am delighted to open this afternoon’s debate on public service reform, which I believe will be the defining task of this session of Parliament.”
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“We also passed the landmark Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, thereby establishing the legislative framework to support Scotland’s transition to a zero waste and circular economy. That is complemented by our circular economy and waste route map to 2030, which will help us to achieve our sustainable resource and climate goals. We have continued to support and deliver genuine efficiencies across the public sector through a range of programmes to save on corporate expenditure, including the national collaborative procurement framework’s commercial value for money and digital programmes, which are securing cost-avoiding and cash-releasing savings that are expected to reach more than £0.5 billion by the end of 2026- 27.”
“Scotland’s claimant count unemployment rate was 3.5 per cent in May, which remains below the UK rate of 4.5 per cent, and our median monthly pay for payrolled employees in Scotland, which was £2,542 in May, remains higher than the figure for the UK as a whole. Scotland continues to show the largest long- term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of all the UK nations, and we are committed to achieving net zero by 2045. In 2024-25, we spent £16.2 million on just transition fund activities, brought the new-build heat standard into force, delivered an additional 1,623 public charging points for electric vehicles and restored 14,860 hectares of degraded peatland.”
“That benefit, which is unique to Scotland, helped around 328,000 under-16s and lifted an estimated 60,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25. Following successful pilots, the carer support payment and the pension-age disability payment were extended nationally, ensuring that carers and individuals with disabilities of pension age now receive regular support in all areas. We also introduced the Scottish adult disability allowance, which replaces the UK disability living allowance and benefits more than 430,000 disabled people. Scotland’s economy and labour market have remained resilient despite challenging economic headwinds. Scotland’s economy grew by 1.2 per cent in 2024, compared with growth of 1.1 per cent in the UK as a whole, and it strengthened from 0.5 per cent growth in 2023.”
“Despite those challenges, we have continued to deliver for Scotland. In 2024-25, we supported fair and affordable pay deals for workers who provide our essential public services, thereby securing the continuity of those services and minimising the need for the sort of costly action that we saw in other parts of the UK. As the UK pay review bodies have recently demonstrated, current global socioeconomic pressures mean that Governments must look beyond their original budgeted costs. By using effective financial management, we were able to offer pay deals that were £600 million greater than planned. In 2024-25, we invested more than £5.9 billion in social security assistance, which directly supported more than 1.4 million people across Scotland. That figure included the allocation of £456 million to the Scottish child payment.”
“The UK Government spending review, which was announced on 11 June, confirmed that the rate of growth in the block grant had fallen below previous expectations, with the block grant growing by only 0.8 per cent in real terms year on year, which is considerably lower than the 1.5 per cent average growth in UK departmental spending. In addition, changes to employer national insurance contributions have not been fully funded for Scotland, and UK Government changes to benefit policy are expected to have a significant negative impact on funding in future years. The impact that those changes will have on our financial planning will be set out to Parliament tomorrow in the medium-term financial strategy, but growing pressures in future years mean that we must act prudently and responsibly to remain fiscally sustainable.”
“Resource borrowing was also eliminated, which reduces the cost of borrowing that future budgets will need to fund, while capital borrowing was significantly reduced. All those actions help to ensure that we remain fiscally sustainable. However, the outlook is still challenging. New threats to economic stability continue to emerge at a global level. We continue to see inflation above the Bank of England target of 2 per cent, which puts pressure on public sector pay deals to ensure that pay remains fair and competitive.”
“Over and above that, we have limited fiscal levers and cannot borrow to meet day-to-day costs. Savings remain our main source of funds for managing emerging pressures. In September 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government set out to Parliament the difficult choices that were being taken. Stronger overall provisional revenue performance from the fully devolved taxes than initially forecast, together with the additional funding that was received from the United Kingdom Government last October and the spending controls that we introduced, enabled us to achieve the cabinet secretary’s stated aim of removing all use of ScotWind revenues to support the wider budget in 2024-25. That has allowed us to target those revenues on investments in a range of net zero projects for the longer-term benefit of Scotland.”
“I welcome the opportunity to update Parliament on the provisional outturn against the budget for the financial year 2024-25. The provisional outturn demonstrates once again that this Government is prudently and competently managing Scotland’s finances while protecting our priorities and ensuring that we have sustained effective delivery of public services. Once again, managing the financial position for 2024-25 was a challenge. The continued impact of inflation, pressure on public sector pay and wider geopolitical instability meant that careful consideration had to be given to balancing the Scottish budget. As members know, we cannot overspend our budget, even by a single penny, and we cannot underspend in excess of the Scotland reserve limit, which is just over £700 million.”
“Members who wish to ask a question should press their request-to-speak buttons if they have not already done so.”
“The strategy is a statement of belief that Scotland can lead and can change and that, together, we can build services that are modern, accessible, flexible, responsive and seamless and that are fit for Scotland’s future. We must be bold and brave to deliver real, long- lasting and meaningful change. The strategy demonstrates that the Scottish Government is ready to go further and faster than ever to reform our public services. I invite the Parliament to support that shared endeavour and to work with us and our partners so that the people of Scotland get the public services that they need and deserve. The Deputy Presiding Officer: The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will move on to the next item of business.”
“My message to our staff who deliver public services is this: you are at the heart of this change and are the system’s greatest asset, and the strategy is about trusting and empowering you to work across boundaries, to focus on what matters and to shape services with the people you serve. The strategy is, at its heart, a programme of action. It will be backed by governance, performance monitoring and a clear commitment to transparency. Our public service reform board will drive and oversee that work and has members from public bodies, the third sector, local government and business with experience of delivering transformation programmes.”
“We will work with partners, staff and trade unions to ensure that we have the right number of people in the right roles to deliver real and meaningful change and that—importantly—staff are empowered to make services better. The Scottish Government cannot deliver reform alone. We are part of a system with huge potential that already shares our vision and values. I have set out in the strategy how we will change our approach to partnership, because the full potential of reform can be delivered only in partnership with public bodies, trade unions and the third sector. Collaboration must be at the heart of our system. The Verity house agreement on collaboration with local government is central to that effort. Employees are also key partners, because we will not deliver change without them.”
“All public bodies are already required to deliver best value, but this is about going further and faster. It is about taking all available opportunities to introduce and embed efficiency through automation, digitisation, estate rationalisation and changing the delivery landscape. That is about delivering significant change, including structural reform in the Government and public bodies when that is needed—not in a headline-grabbing way that simply throws out random targets based on no evidence, but by identifying and delivering the real opportunities for better, joined-up services that will improve lives and redirect resources. We must be ready to reshape our workforce to enable that service reform. Everyone recognises that things must change, and that creates challenges as well as opportunities for employees.”
“Efficiency—ensuring that every pound of public money works as hard as it can—is no less than people and businesses have a right to expect. Across key efficiency programmes, we have already secured significant cash-avoiding and cash-releasing savings, which are expected to reach up to £280 million over the two-year period to the end of 2024-25. However, there is much more that we can do. Through the tools at our disposal and the efficiency workstreams in our strategy, we will reduce identified costs on Scottish Government and public body spend on corporate functions by 20 per cent over the next five years. That equates to an approximate annual cost reduction of £1 billion by 2029-30. That will require every part of the public sector to reduce the cost of doing business and prioritise the front line.”
“It is key that we join up services and change how we do things to better integrate local services. We need to further develop local partnerships, empower staff and communities, remove duplication and break the cycle of people being passed from pillar to post in order to get help. We will simplify the policy landscape, strengthen community planning partnerships, unlock the potential of the third sector, tackle barriers to data sharing and maximise the use of digital technologies to make services fit for the future. That is exemplified in the whole-family support approach. The Scottish Government is working with local partners to enable greater local decision making and flexibility to support families at risk of poverty. That means that local partners can use resources in the way that they find most effective to support people.”
“Empowerment is vital, so we will involve staff, service users and communities in the design and delivery of services to make those services work better. Prevention—investing earlier to avoid harm later—is easy to grasp but can be hard to deliver. Today, I am also publishing research that shows that Scottish public services have successfully introduced innovative and highly effective preventative interventions across a range of policy areas over a number of years. That research will inform our understanding of the technical and cultural barriers to building a preventative system, including those relating to how we enable the movement of money around the system to support investment in prevention and how we tackle the root causes of poor outcomes and improve lives.”
“We have taken the time to understand the barriers to systemic change—duplication, fragmentation, siloed working and outdated accountability structures—which, too often, make doing the right thing harder. We have identified the actions that are required to remove those barriers. The strategy marshals together in one place everything that we need to do to reform our public services. It recognises that reform is a process, not an event, and that progress requires a range of interventions, all of which are necessary. Culture is the public sector’s biggest strength, but it can also be a barrier to reform. Leadership is key. We must allow leaders to lead and to take risks to improve outcomes, and we must hold them to account on that.”
“We must rapidly increase the scale and pace of reform, building on the strong foundations that we have in Scotland— our shared vision and shared values. We need to intervene earlier in order to prevent expensive crisis interventions later. The strategy sets out a bold, system-wide approach to changing how we think and behave across the public service system. It maximises impact across the whole system, not just in organisations. That whole-system approach will enable reform across all public services. That includes the changes that are set out in the population health framework and the service renewal framework, which were presented to the Parliament two days ago.”
“Our annual £1 billion investment that provides 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare has encouraged nearly three quarters of parents to say that it has helped them to find or look for work. The reorganisation of policing into a single body saves £200 million in back-office costs every year. However, we clearly recognise that we have not delivered the Christie approach to its fullest potential. As a Government, we have listened to communities, to those who deliver services and to the people who rely on them. Despite increased investment, public satisfaction with services has fallen. We know that services can be hard to navigate for those who rely on them most, and front-line staff can feel constrained in their ability to help. That must change.”
“The strategy builds on the work of the Christie commission, which called for public services that focus on prevention, place, partnership, people and performance. The Scottish Government has already delivered some successful reforms. Since 2008, smarter justice interventions have helped to deliver a 92 per cent reduction in the number of young people who are prosecuted in adult courts. The Scottish child payment alone is estimated to keep 40,000 children out of relative poverty this year. Between 2003 and 2020, our Childsmile programme has halved tooth decay among children and has generated significant cost savings for national health service boards.”
“The fiscal context remains challenging—the United Kingdom Government’s spending review has short changed Scotland by more than £1 billion, energy costs for public services are among the highest in Europe and every public body in Scotland is now impacted by increased employer national insurance contributions. A change of UK Government has changed little. Next week, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government will publish the medium- term financial strategy and the fiscal sustainability delivery plan, which will set out the scale of the fiscal challenge that we face and how we will address it. Public service reform is an integral part of the Government’s response to that challenge— it is about how we optimise every pound of spend to deliver the services that the people of Scotland need and deserve.”
“It aims to unlock the full potential of Scotland’s public services, making them more efficient, more joined up and more preventative in approach. It is about doing things better, not delivering less. It is about Scotland leading our own agenda for reform, not following that of others. Public services matter—deeply. They are the foundation of a fairer Scotland and are essential to our priorities of eradicating child poverty, growing a wellbeing economy and addressing the climate crisis. However, our system is under strain. Demographic shifts and rising demand are intensifying fiscal pressures.”
“Today, I am pleased to publish our public service reform strategy, which is rooted in realism, driven by urgency and focused on delivering for Scotland. Public services are an asset and an investment in our collective future. Everyone in Scotland should have access to services that are efficient, of good quality and effective. Public services reflect the society that we are and who we aspire to be: enterprising, compassionate and forward looking. Well-functioning public services are the antidote to those who seek to divide our communities. People in Scotland want a fairer future in which every individual and every community has the opportunity to thrive. The strategy that I am launching today is about delivering that future.”
“We are very much in the business of looking for opportunities to save cash and, where that involves structural change, we shall take that forward. Again, I will say more about that tomorrow. [Interruption.] Ivan McKee: Does somebody want to come in? No. There was a lot of chuntering from a sedentary position. I will move on to Rachael Hamilton’s—”
“As usual, he was looking for uncosted tax cuts at the same time as spending increases, which is what we have come to expect from the Tory Party. I think that I must have been the third person, after Michael Marra, to download the Tory document. I had a wee look at it while I was listening to Craig Hoy. As far as I can tell, he identified three public bodies that he wants to get rid of, which is a long way from the quarter of public bodies that he is targeting. He would then, of course, add another one, by putting in place a new quango whose job I am not quite sure of but which seems to be about taking forward work that this Government is already doing, without an additional quango. If he was paying attention yesterday, he would have noticed that the health secretary has merged two NHS bodies.”
“Daniel Johnson: Although we might disagree on much, does the minister agree that this is not about shrinking the state, and that reform must be about freeing up people for front-line public service delivery? Ivan McKee: Yes, I agree. It is not about a smaller state; it is about a state that is the right size to deliver what it needs to deliver and getting the workforce and resources in the right place to do so. Willie Rennie talked about our NHS. Just yesterday, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care unveiled two documents on service renewal and population health that articulate how we are going to take the reform agenda forward in the health and social care space. Craig Hoy talked at length about all kinds of stuff.”
“I thank everyone who has taken part in the debate. I will start with Willie Rennie’s contribution and give him my sincere and heartfelt assurance that my statement tomorrow will, indeed, be very boring but that it will address the challenges that he has identified. He is absolutely right that treating the debate as some kind of show will not get to the reality of the detail that must be dealt with in order to transform Scottish public services. I will go through that in more detail tomorrow. Willie Rennie made a number of points about digital, which, again, I will cover to a significant extent tomorrow. AI is very much part of our consideration, but we need to get the balance right and ensure that ethics are well considered when we roll it out. I will talk more about that tomorrow.”
“Multiyear Funding Settlements (Discussions with United Kingdom Government) 8.”
“The Scottish Government is committed to the international rule of law, and we support any and all investigations into crimes against humanity and genocide. We also expect the highest standards of our contractors. The awarding of public contracts is bound by international agreement and domestic regulations. Those regulations permit bidders to be excluded from tender exercises where they can be shown to have acted in a manner that constitutes grave professional misconduct. Scottish Government guidance that is issued to public bodies sets out a view that exploitation of assets in illegal settlements is likely to be regarded as grave professional misconduct. In light of the question that the member asked, I will undertake to ask officials to provide advice on how the Scottish Government could take forward such a review.”
“Although the UK is the state party to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, we in Scotland must do what we can to ensure that we are in no way complicit in that genocide or in the continued illegal occupation of the West Bank. In the light of that, will the minister make it clear that no taxpayer-funded contract from the Scottish Government will aid those war crimes? Will he confirm that the Government will undertake an immediate review to consider what action it can take to ensure that any company that operates in illegal settlements or is in any way complicit in the genocide in Gaza is prevented from bidding for future Scottish Government contracts? Ivan McKee: The genocide that is taking place in Gaza must be of the utmost concern to us all.”
“Such matters are, of course, reserved. The United Kingdom has a number of international agreements that feature chapters on public procurement and is a member of the World Trade Organization agreement on government procurement. When it comes to procurement by devolved Scottish authorities, the terms of those agreements are given effect principally by the relevant provisions of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, the Concession Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2016 and the Utilities Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2016. Humza Yousaf: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. That is not only my view but the view of hundreds of legal experts in genocide studies. Every state has an obligation to prevent genocide.”
“That is not to mention the £450 billion in oil and gas revenues that have gone south to the UK Treasury over the past number of years and, of course—this is an important point to finish on—the £2.3 billion in additional revenue that would have accrued to the Scottish Government if we had not been taken out of the European Union against our will by the policy of Liam Kerr’s party on Brexit. Barnett Formula (Replacement) 5.”
“Those are costs that we would not incur, were we a normal independent country. Liam Kerr should note the successes of Scotland’s economy. Recently published data shows that unemployment is lower in Scotland than it is in the rest of the UK. Recent data shows that average revenue per person in Scotland is higher than in the rest of the UK and that Scotland has faster growth in income tax revenue. There is net inward migration from the rest of the UK to Scotland. Longer-term trends show that Scotland has higher growth in gross domestic product per head and higher productivity growth per head than the rest of the UK.”
“Given that context, what impact assessments and modelling did the Government do prior to launching a fiscal policy that would immediately cut £40 billion from the Scottish budget? Ivan McKee: As I am sure that Liam Kerr is aware, the Scottish Government’s policy is that Scotland should be a normal independent country and that we should take full control of all our economic levers. Liam Kerr should also be aware that the GERS numbers are a statement of the current situation that Scotland suffers from as a member of the union. The data clearly lays out the costs that Scotland incurs through that relationship. A significant amount of the costs that are in GERS are costs that have been incurred by the UK Government that have been allocated on a pro rata basis to Scotland.”
“As happens annually, the normal work to produce the publication has been begun by officials, and the publication date will be pre- announced in line with the code of practice for statistics. Liam Kerr: The most recent GERS statistics showed that Scotland’s deficit is nearly £23 billion and runs at more than 10 per cent annually. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has said that full fiscal autonomy is the Government’s preferred policy, but, under full fiscal autonomy, Scotland would lose United Kingdom Government funding and Scotland’s taxpayers would have to plug the gaps. Does the minister think that the next GERS figures will show a multibillion-pound deficit?”
“I thank all those who have been involved in identifying, managing and addressing concerns caused by RAAC. Although there are, undoubtedly, still issues to address, we have a far greater understanding of RAAC across the public sector in Scotland. Where RAAC has been found, building managers will have taken appropriate steps to ensure the safety of buildings and users. Finally, anyone who has a building with RAAC should seek professional advice and follow the appropriate guidance.”
“Rather, it is for those with RAAC to manage their estates as they consider necessary, taking their priorities into account. Since RAAC first came to prominence almost two years ago, the Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to make a dedicated RAAC remediation fund available, but so far that has not been forthcoming. We have written again, ahead of the UK Government spending review, to repeat that call. Taking learning from the issue of RAAC into account, we are establishing a cross-sector building safety forum with external stakeholders to work to identify potential future safety issues. The forum, which is made up of representatives from across the public sector, met for the first time last week and will report to the ministerial working group on building and fire safety.”
“To assist landlords and owners, I am also pleased to confirm that the Institution of Structural Engineers, with support from the Scottish Government, is currently developing guidance that is specific to RAAC in domestic properties. That guidance will include potential ways to effectively support any RAAC in situ or, where that is not possible, advice on how it can safely be removed. We expect that guidance to be published in the summer. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors will also publish a consumer guide shortly. The approaches being taken reflect what I said earlier. RAAC is not a fundamentally defective material and, if it is in good condition, it can be managed and remain in situ for many years. The Scottish Government will not be imposing a deadline for the removal of RAAC from public buildings.”
“Having said that, each area is different and what one local authority is doing to address RAAC may not be appropriate for another, not only because of the number of properties affected but because of the condition of the RAAC. In North Lanarkshire for example, due to the low number of affected properties, the local authority is making grants to help homeowners cover their costs. Meanwhile, Dundee and Edinburgh are carrying out pilots to provide a permanent solution to concerns about RAAC without removing it and incurring significant costs. We are ready to work with any local authority to develop solutions to address residents’ concerns.”
“Mortgage lenders and insurers must pay heed to the ISE guidance, just as building owners do. Earlier this month, the Minister for Housing met with residents in Aberdeen who are affected by RAAC to hear their concerns directly. He also heard some of the alternative solutions they have been proposing to councils. A visit to meet similarly affected residents in Dundee is also being arranged. The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting local authorities with flexibilities within their existing budgets. They are responsible for supporting housing in their areas, for example through the scheme of assistance in place to help homeowners. It is for each local authority to decide the support that it will make available, based on its resources and local priorities.”
“I am pleased with the progress that social landlords are making to assess and remediate RAAC, where required, and to manage properties in the longer term. The housing sub-group on RAAC brings together Scottish Government officials, social landlords and other professionals to share best practice and to test approaches to RAAC management. My colleague the Minister for Housing, and his officials have engaged closely with local authorities as they have addressed the issue of RAAC in the various council areas. They have also met the Association of British Insurers and have engaged with UK Finance and with residents groups. I encourage lenders and insurers to treat homeowners fairly and ask that they consider the condition of any RAAC, rather than just responding to the fact that there is RAAC in a property.”
“NHS Scotland Assure is working with NHS boards to further assess the condition of RAAC to allow a national programme to be developed. Patient and staff safety has not been compromised because of RAAC. Where areas have had to be closed, services have been provided from elsewhere. Nothing is more important than the safety of patients and staff in our NHS. There has undoubtedly been a considerable focus on housing. In Scotland, local authorities, social landlords and the Scottish Housing Regulator have undertaken a comprehensive assessment of their stock. Although the vast majority of social landlords do not have RAAC, there are about 3,000 homes, around 1,000 of which are privately owned, that do have it.”
“My thanks go to everyone who has engaged with us to allow an understanding of RAAC across the public sector in Scotland. It is only with that engagement that we have been able to develop the complete picture. A total of 40 schools were found to have RAAC, and that number is now down to 29. A number of those schools will be replaced through the £2 billion learning estate investment programme. Schools that still have RAAC are taking appropriate measures to manage it and have longer-term plans to address it. Our national health service estate has also been affected. Members will no doubt be aware of the work to remove RAAC at Knoll hospital in the Borders. Fifty other NHS properties were found to have RAAC. Some of those buildings, such as Denburn health centre in Aberdeen, were due to be vacated before RAAC was discovered.”
“It may remain serviceable and does not need to be removed simply because it is RAAC. The cross-sector working group has heard from experts and professional bodies who have refuted claims such as those about the limited 30-year lifespan of RAAC. If RAAC has been properly manufactured, specified, installed and maintained, it can continue to fulfil its function in the long term. If RAAC is not properly maintained, it can deteriorate and will need to be managed appropriately. That may include on-going monitoring, remediation or replacement. The Scottish Government advises building owners to use the guidance produced by the Institution of Structural Engineers for assessment. We continue to urge building owners with RAAC to seek appropriate professional advice and follow the guidance.”
“The group pulled together people from across Scotland with an interest in RAAC, including professional advisers and academics, to ensure that knowledge, understanding and best practice could be shared. RAAC is not just a Scottish issue, of course; it is also present across England and Wales, with engagement taking place between the Scottish Government and other Governments on the topic. RAAC came to public prominence in late August 2023, following the UK Government Department for Education’s decision to change its approach to risk with regard to RAAC in schools in England. Work had already been undertaken in Scotland by that time, particularly in the health, justice and school sectors. The Institution of Structural Engineers notes that properly maintained RAAC should perform no differently to any other comparable building material.”
“I am pleased to provide Parliament with an update on the work that has been going on across the public sector to identify and manage reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, as it is better known. Where RAAC has been used in Scotland, it has typically been for roofs in different types of buildings, with only limited use in walls and floors. RAAC started to be used in the 1950s and continued to be used through to the 1980s. There is currently no manufacturing in Scotland or in the rest of the United Kingdom, and it is no longer used here. However, it is still manufactured and used in other countries, including Germany, South Korea and Mexico. In response to emerging concerns across the sector, a working group was formed in the summer of 2023.”
“As I said, the formula is in place and the Government’s policy is that we move boards towards parity over time. That is what is happening with NHS Lothian, as it is with other NHS territorial boards.”
“Will the cabinet secretary and the minister agree to meet a cross- party group of MSPs and representatives of NHS Lothian to discuss the board’s concerning financial sustainability issues and the fact that we need a population-based funding model if we are going to deliver the services that Lothian will need in the future? Ivan McKee: The NRAC formula, which is updated regularly, takes into account population growth and a range of other factors in its calculation. With regard to NHS Lothian, we have seen the board’s funding move closer and closer to parity in each of the years since the matter came under consideration by the Government. Indeed, NHS Lothian has seen additional parity adjustments of almost £130 million in the past 10 years or so.”
“Miles Briggs: In recent years, MSPs and MPs from all parties have heard from NHS Lothian that, with the poor financial allocation, it is consistently seeing under-level performance with regard to the national resource allocation formula. That situation means that our health board here, in Lothian, is consistently losing out, with the result that it is now the lowest-funded health board per head of population in Scotland. What actions is the Scottish Government taking specifically on NHS Lothian, given that the area is experiencing the highest level of population growth anywhere in the country?”
“The NRAC formula is an objective measure of the need for healthcare services across Scotland. The formula, which is updated annually, provides target shares for regional national health service boards and has been in use since 2009-10. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has not had any specific conversations with NHS boards regarding the formula. The approach that has been taken by the Scottish Government has been to move boards towards parity gradually over a number of years. Since 2012-13, more than £4 billion of additional funding has been committed to those NHS boards that are below their NRAC parity levels.”