Consultation response: public finances in 2023-24

Response from the David Hume Institute to the Scottish Parliament call for views on Scotland’s public finances in 2023-24 and the impact of the cost of living and public service reform.

About our submission

DHI welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s call for views on Scotland’s public finances 2023-24 and the impact of the cost of living and public service reform.

Central to our work are the people of Scotland, including those who are seldom heard; from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds; different genders, ages and abilities. 

We apply the critical thinking which has long defined DHI to encourage action to address the contemporary issues of our time. 

Our response draws on a range of previous research including:

• The Action Project - the largest multi generational research project in Scotland in recent years heard from over 5,000 people about their thoughts on action to help Scotland build forward better.

• Our 2022 briefing paper on open data, which sets out the lack of progress on open data in Scotland and the cost to the economy and public services.

Summary

We call on the Committee to recommend that the Scottish Government:

• Maintain the essential focus on commitments to reducing child poverty and the transition to net zero is critical to the economy

• Fully implement the Scottish Government’s 2021 benefit take-up strategy

• Recognise that there is little evidence that tax cuts will help with the cost of living or inflation

• Work to reduce levels of ‘inactivity’ amongst those who want to work by reducing barriers to work in order to increase the tax base.

• Fully realise the benefits of their own Open Data commitments to improve public services and boost the economy.

• Better utilise the sustainable procurement duty to deliver national outcomes

Scottish Parliament consultation response: Public Finances in 2022-23

Response from the David Hume Institute to the Scottish Parliament call for views on Scotland’s public finances in 2022-23 and the impact of COVID

About our submission

DHI welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s call for views on Scotland’s public finances 2022-23 and the impact of Covid.

Our submission draws on evidence from:

• The largest multi generational research project in Scotland in the last five years, The Action Project. In 2020-21 we brought together people from across Scotland to consider the actions needed to move faster towards a more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair country.  Through facilitated conversations with over 5,000 people, we identified actions which will help Scotland build forward better.
  

• Working with partners to reach people of all ages and backgrounds across Scotland.  These included U3A, the Scottish Youth Parliament, the Children’s Parliament and local organisations like InspirAlba in Campbeltown and Resonate Together in Alloa. By listening to the many voices and then analysing themes and patterns, WhatsYourAction.scot presents the findings and encourages others to have their say.
  

• Our 2021 briefing paper on multi-year budgeting, which sets out the enabling action needed for the Scottish Government to publish multi-year spending plans.

Summary

We call on the Committee to recommend that the Scottish Government:

• Publish draft multi-year spending plans to help longer term planning for service improvement, investment and productivity, and increase transparency over forward planning.

• Publish how it has prioritised for a fair and equal recovery, and provide underlying evidence for those priorities, recognising trade offs between shorter and longer term choices.

• Link budget priorities to the National Performance Framework and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), using them to analyse how the pandemic has affected some groups and communities worse than others. Continued use of the UNSDGs assists collaboration with other organisations and governments around the world.

• Focus on climate action and a fair transition to net zero, faster delivery of digital infrastructure and measures to directly influence reductions in poverty and promote greater inclusivity.

• Work to improve Scotland’s places by devolving resources and putting more power in the hands of local communities.

• Ensure support for jobs where skills can be developed rather than skills development alone.

• Commit to a full review of the Fiscal Framework which considers external changes including the loss of European Funding and new direct spending in Scotland from Westminster as well as the interactions between both devolved and reserved taxes and social securities.