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Building a Better Scotland
FOREWORD
By Minister for Finance and Public Services
In this report we set out our plans for investing in Scotland over the next three years. By 2005-06, public spending in Scotland will be over 4 billion higher than in 2002-03. This is a huge investment in every aspect of Scottish life.
As Minister for Finance and Public Services, I have a duty to make sure that every pound is spent wisely and meets Scotland's priorities. Throughout the Spending Review, I have been supported in the Spending Strategy Group by Ross Finnie and Peter Peacock and by the staff of the Scottish Executive. We have laid the basis for an improved framework of financial and performance management. My guiding principle is to make sure our resources are aimed explicitly at making a real difference to what matters in the daily lives of the people of Scotland. We will rigorously pursue our goals over the period of the Spending Review.
For each aspect of government presented in this report we set out our high-level aims and objectives so everyone can understand the policy goals we are pursuing. Moreover, we lay out in broad terms a set of targets for each, which are the results we want to achieve as a result of this Spending Review.
We are committing ourselves to ensuring that our spending delivers a major impact in improving the quality of life in Scotland.
I am clear that achieving the aims, objectives and targets set out here means first class delivery of public services across the board - in central government, local government, the health service and other public organisations. We must all aim for the most exacting standards and highest quality of performance. To build on the Spending Review - and set out not only what we intend to deliver, but how we intend to go about doing so, and how we will rigorously appraise and measure what we do - I have put in place arrangements to report regularly on progress against our targets and what steps we are taking to meet them.
The new approach set out in this report represents the start of a new financial and performance regime for the Executive. It will increase the efficiency of our spending, enhance the way we report our finances and performance to the public, and above all ensure that our spending has maximum impact in meeting our priorities. In effect these plans will hold us to account to the people of Scotland.
The Spending Plans set out below represent a major investment in our future infrastructure, our young people, and our quality of life.
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Andy Kerr MSP
Minister for Finance and Public Services |
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