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Amendments to Budget Bill
31/01/2008
The Scottish Government today lodged amendments to the 2008-09 Budget Bill.
These amendments will deliver:
- £10 million to begin the process of recruiting 500 Police officers in addition to the 500 new recruits already announced by the Scottish Government and the substantial number of officers to be retained or redeployed
- £4.3 million extra for the Climate Challenge Fund
The extra funding for Police recruitment is part of an additional package of funding of £40 million over the next three years that will allow the recruitment of 1,000 additional police officers by March 2011.
The extra funding for the Climate Challenge Fund recognises the increased level of effort required within and outwith government to deliver our greener Scotland commitments, including our ambitious climate change targets. The additional funding will support a range of sustainable development and climate change initiatives, through the new Climate Challenge Fund.
This additional funding is made possible by:
- repayment by Registers of Scotland of its Public Dividend Capital (PDC). The PDC was provided when RoS was set up as a Trading Fund in order to provide funding until it was generating sufficient income to cover its costs. As ROS has now achieved this, we are able to agree repayment of the PDC
- reducing the Network Strengthening and Improvement budget by £3 million - No major roads projects will suffer in terms of this budget amendment but it will have an impact on the timescale of delivery of structural road maintenance and the Intelligent Transport Systems five year action plan
- reprofiling the eHealth budget to release £5 million in 2008-09
- reprofile the Prisons budget to release £2 million. SPS will seek to build on its excellent track record of delivering efficiency savings to deliver this budget adjustment
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said:
"This Government is absolutely committed to delivering a budget to benefit all of Scotland through increased, sustainable economic growth and measures to strengthen Scottish society.
"In doing so, we must create a programme that can command a majority in Parliament. Throughout the budget process I have been clear that I would listen and work closely with Parliament to produce a budget that will deliver our vision of a more successful Scotland.
"To do that we have had to make some tough choices and build consensus. Last week the principles of the Bill were passed by Parliament - but we agreed to work on the proposals on police numbers and business rates put forward by the Finance Committee.
"The Government has done that and today we have been able to lodge amendments that will provide more funding for 300 additional police officers on our streets in 2008/09 and I give a commitment that resources will be available in the following two years to increase this total to 500 - over and above the 500 we have already pledged to recruit. We have also been able to find additional resources to take forward further measures to tackle climate change.
"I will continue to consider the recommendations of the Finance Committee and explore ways to deliver a budget that can command the support of Parliament. It is now down to Parliament to vote on these proposals when the Bill reaches Stage Three next week."
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
"This Government is committed to delivering a more visible policing presence on Scotland's streets. Last November we announced £54 million to support additional recruitment and build policing capacity at a national level, as well as providing support for key retention and redeployment initiatives.
"As a first step, that money was to support the recruitment of an additional 500 officers, to start immediately to ensure that at least 150 more officers are recruited in the current financial year. Earlier this month the first batch of those additional recruits began their training at Tulliallan Police College.
"Following careful consideration of reports by the Finance and Justice Committees, we have agreed to make an extra £10 million available next year to support further additional police recruitment. We then intend to make further additional sums available in subsequent years of £13 million and £17 million.
"Along with the money already announced, this will result in £94 million to build police capacity and recruit an additional 1000 police officers by March 2011. This will go hand in hand with the substantial increases in police capacity that we expect to see through improved retention and the reinvestment of efficiency gains to support the redeployment of officers to enhance operational policing in Scotland's communities.
"We are determined to see more police officers becoming part of the fabric of the communities they serve and these new resources mean that we are not just delivering on our manifesto commitment, we are going substantially beyond it."
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, said:
"The consultation paper on the Scottish Climate Change Bill makes clear the scale of the challenge we are facing. Government, business and all of the people of Scotland must be ready to rise to the challenge of climate change.
"Our communities will be in the front line in facing the impacts of our changing climate. They have a key role to play in driving forward the climate change and sustainable development agenda. The additional funding announced today will help accelerate our work in these areas - while at the same time contributing to the Government's purpose of achieving sustainable economic growth."
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth wrote to the Finance Committee today to explain the ammendments.
The Stage Three Debate on the Budget Bill 08/09 will be held next Wednesday (February 6)