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Building a Better Scotland - Infrastructure Investment Plan: Investing in the Future of Scotland
Ministerial Foreword
Our Scottish budget mapped out our spending priorities for the next three years: growing our economy and investing in Scotland's people; improving public services and opportunities for all our young people; safeguarding our environment; and realising our ambitions for Scotland.
Our spending will tackle the damage created by years of underinvestment and neglect - years that left our school buildings in decline, our public transport service damaged and impaired our economic competitiveness.
Growing the economy is our top priority. And we know only long term funding will achieve that and secure the improved quality of life we are aiming for. Our record levels of investment demonstrate our commitment to sustained, long term growth in Scotland's infrastructure through capital investment.
This is the first Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland. Our Spending Review for 2005-06 to 2007-08 committed us to a major increase in the level of capital spending to further improve Scotland's physical infrastructure and we are committed to increasing capital spending by five per cent in real terms each year over this period - an unprecedented investment in our infrastructure.
We know that sustained investment in the physical fabric of Scotland will help us to create a prosperous Scotland where enterprise can flourish. This plan will allow businesses to play a crucial role in renewing Scotland's infrastructure - demonstrating that a strong public sector can help the private sector flourish.
This plan outlines the detail of our investment plans by Ministerial portfolio and confirms that Scotland now has major investment opportunities. We welcome the chance to work with partners across the private and public sectors to realise these plans and we wish to secure a mixed programme of investment, using all available investment methods to ensure that our resources match our ambitions.
This plan describes how:
- long term investment in Scotland's physical infrastructure will build new facilities for our universities and colleges;
- investment in the rail and road links that our businesses will need to get goods to markets and people to work;
- increased investment in modern schools will improve the teaching and learning environment and strengthen the opportunities for our children and young people;
- long term investment in Scotland's physical infrastructure will support the regeneration of our towns and cities and increase the level of investment in new, affordable, secure and warm homes;
- direct investment will build safer communities and strengthen our sports and cultural facilities;
- we will increase our investment in safe health facilities for the sick and in ensuring that our water supplies meet European standards.
Our co-ordinated plan targets investment throughout Scotland so that every community will benefit. This plan demonstrates the level of infrastructure development that will be procured from the private sector through conventional and other procurement methods. The plan shows that our commitment to improving Scotland's infrastructure is the first step to ensuring a distinctive Scottish approach to our development. To meet this challenging investment plan, we use the skills and experience of public and private sector organisations; applying the lessons learned from previous procurement to achieve the best possible value for money for the people of Scotland.
We will develop new delivery structures to co-ordinate this investment, to reduce the risks of delay and to minimise the danger of cost increases. We will continue our efforts to raise delivery standards in organisations and individuals responsible for such infrastructure planning and investment, seeking to ensure that they have the capacity, skills, and experience to enable the efficient achievement of this plan throughout Scotland.
Our Efficient Government plan will help us to ensure that we get the greatest possible value for every pound of public money that is spent. It sets out detailed plans to improve our procurement practice and asset management. It also aims to ensure that our infrastructure investment plans result in better services. Ensuring the most efficient use of taxpayers' money is at the heart of everything we do - and this plan emphasises our commitment to investing soundly to deliver real long term benefits which will be felt in communities across Scotland.
We are building sustainable development principles into each portfolio's operational planning and delivery, improving awareness and understanding of sustainable development priorities and how they should be addressed.
We will continue our dialogue with partners across the public sector and in industry to develop similar plans in future years. This plan and those that follow will be properly implemented and their delivery carefully monitored.
This plan shows how we will match our ambition with investment. It shows how the resources we invest in our infrastructure will have a lasting effect on communities and industries across Scotland.
Tom McCabe
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform
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