The Scottish Government has published its budget.  But it’s for one year not three!  No SNP Minister can explain why it was right for nationalists in Wales to produce figures for three years but not for the SNP Government in Scotland.

SNP Ministers say they can’t give a four-year budget because they have just set up a public service reform group. That’s code for “we don’t know what to do but whatever we do will be after next May’s Election. Yet the SNP have known the broad numbers for months.

After all, Alex Salmond wrote to Vince Cable on 12th February to say, “The public sector must now prepare for several years of fiscal austerity”. And in April and June the SNP Chief Economist published budget estimates up to the year 2028 within three decimal places, showing reductions.

This SNP Budget is for the election not for long-term certainty.  It’s for short term nationalist interests, not the long term needs of Scotland.

We’ve said this Budget is too severe on services but too soft on waste.

We say that it is “too severe” because it is too short-term. For example because local government or colleges don’t know the long term figures, they may cut too sharply in the first year.

It looks like the SNP’s top priority is to make sure nothing bad has got their name on it.

They haven’t made the important decisions on high pay, bonuses, quango waste.  There is rhetoric on hospital consultants’ bonuses, but little action.

And what about building schools, hospitals and railways? The SNP are finally willing to use PPP, but only after three years of delay – not one non-profit-distributing school or hospital project is on the Government’s books at the moment.

Our Finance spokesperson, Jeremy Purvis, has published a list of planned savings.

They total £4bn over a four year period and are sufficient to cover the drop in the Scottish Block. The Liberal Democrats have done the work that the Scottish Government refuses to do.

Over four years, the Liberal Democrats will, amongst other measures:

• Cut quango expenditure, saving £45 million;
• Cut the pay bill by 10% for the top paid public sector workers, saving £260 million;
• Stop bonuses in the public sector, saving £167 million;
• Increase efficiency targets by a reasonable 0.75%, saving over £2 billion;
• Make Scottish Water borrow from the markets, not the taxpayer, saving £600 million;
• Reduce waste in drug expenditure, saving £475 million;
• Retain but reform concessionary travel, saving £120 million;
• Keep free school meals only at the extended entitlement, saving £120 million.

We will publish a list of the right spending, the right choices for Scotland. But we’re clear that the SNP Budget doesn’t take action on education for children from deprived backgrounds, low income pensioners, properly supported jobs and businesses and college and university funding.

We have clear and costed plans to save money and protect the services that people across the country rely on.  The Labour party want to centralise services and create new quangos, which could cost millions and will jeopardise local decision making.  The SNP have an election plan, but no plan to protect services or make the necessary savings.  And the Tories in Scotland? Well they’ve always propped up the SNP Government’s Budget so this year will define their approach.

People in Scotland don’t want their politicians to be electioneering with the Budget.  They want clear plans to create jobs and protect vital services.  That’s what we will do.