Scottish Parliament Budget 2023-24: Second Debate

The Scottish Parliament is holding its second debate on the Budget for 2023-24. SFHA provided a briefing for MSPs ahead of the debate on the key issues facing the social housing sector.

In the Chamber, Interim Finance Secretary and Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, discussed the challenging economic context surrounding the Budget. However, he said the Scottish Government remained committed to ending child poverty, reaching net zero and maintaining sustainable public services. He also discussed what he called the stronger “social contract” between citizens in Government in Scotland relative to the rest of the UK.

Among the measures the Cabinet Secretary highlighted was the extension of the Fuel Insecurity Fund into the next financial year. Speaking on behalf of the Finance & Public Administration Committee, Kenneth Gibson highlighted issues around long-term financial sustainability and other potential future funding gaps in the budget. He urged the Government to undertake more strategic, long-term financial planning.

For the Conservatives, Liz Smith criticised “political” tax rises, which she said would be ineffective at improving public services. She criticised the planned National Care Service and called for its funding to be redirected to local government. Labour’s Daniel Johnson said the Budget failed to address the cost-of-living crisis or the crisis in the NHS. He criticised the level of planned pay rises for social care workers and wider social care funding. Willie Rennie highlighted the poor performance of the Scottish and UK economies and opposed planned freezes and cuts to mental health services. He called for extra funding to tackle long covid.