This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Report on spending targets set in 2002
08/09/2006
A final report based on progress against the targets set out in the 2002 Spending Review is published today.
It shows:
- Unemployment down and employment up
- Increased investment in transport and other infrastructure
- Far-reaching reforms to the criminal justice system and measures to promote greater respect for people and their property
- Significant steps to improve health, particularly the successful implementation of the smoking ban
- Improved educational attainment, with most pupils performing at or above the expected level for their age
- Good progress in implementing Scotland's first ever sustainable development strategy, promoting a healthy rural economy and continuing to support our thriving renewables industry
A total of 135 of the 162 targets - or 83 per cent - are either met or on course to be met and a further 11 targets - or seven per cent - have been replaced.
Progress has been made in many of the remaining 16 targets but completion of several of them has been delayed as a result of factors outwith the control of the Executive.
Eight of the remaining 16 targets - or five per cent - have since been updated as part of the 2004 Spending Review and are expected to be met in the future.
Finance and Public Service Reform Minister Tom McCabe said:
"This final report clearly underlines we have made real progress against the targets we set as part of the 2002 Spending Review. There have been genuine achievements across all issues, particularly our key priorities.
"Growing the economy is our number one priority and we highlight great progress in delivering the transport infrastructure the business community expects, as well as the highly-skilled workforce they need. There is real progress across all areas of devolved responsibility - in fact, 83 per cent of the targets are either met or on course to be met.
"It is important, however, to recognise that these targets were drawn up four years ago. We have made significant progress across the board since then and many of those targets have been superseded or replaced.
"The Executive will continue working to build a better Scotland - the Spending Review in 2002 laid the foundations for that."