Scottish budget approved by MSPs but tories question transparency

The Scottish Budget has passed its final vote at Holyrood - the product of a fourth straight deal between the Government and the Greens.

The tax and spending plans were approved by 63 votes to 55.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes praised other parties during the debate for the constructive nature of negotiations on the Budget.

But she was attacked by Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Donald Cameron, who claimed the extra £173 million - slated to be spent on councils, policing, climate change and assessing the viability of free bus travel for under 19s - made available as part of the deal with the Greens showed a lack of transparency.

Ms Forbes had told the chamber and various committees that all the money in the public purse was accounted for, and the extra funding would come from managed underspends'' and a re-profiling of business rates.

Mr Cameron said: "I acknowledge that the Cabinet Secretary introduced this Budget in difficult circumstances and I accept this is a draft Budget and is always subject to small tweaks here and there, but that doesn't negate the lack of transparency in terms of what money was ultimately available in terms of her negotiations with other parties."

He said the result was "simply a repeat" of past budgets.

When challenged by SNP MSP John Mason, who said the Finance Secretary gave a "clear explanation" of where the additional funding would come from, Mr Cameron did not accept that was the case.

The Tory also questioned how committees would be able to scrutinise draft Budgets when "the figures they are looking at can change on a whim".

Earlier in the debate, Ms Forbes said: "I'd like to thank all subject committees and political parties for their deliberations on the Budget.

"I fully appreciate the challenge that was faced in assuring proper scrutiny within a shortened Budget process meant that everybody had to participate slightly differently and I recognise the value that they have added to the process."

In recent years, the draft Budget has been announced in December, giving a number of months before it needs to be passed and allowing for more thorough scrutiny by MSPs.

However, a delay to the UK budget also pushed back the announcement of Scotland's spending plans to February 6.

On the eve of the Budget publication, then finance secretary Derek Mackay resigned after a the Scottish Sun published details of 270 unsolicited messages he sent to a 16-year-old boy. He has since been suspended from the party pending an investigation.

Ms Forbes was thrust into presenting the plans, for which she received widespread praise and was eventually given the job permanently.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell told how the new Finance Secretary's "spirit of compromise" had "rescued negotiations with the Greens this year".

Speaking about the Budget deal, he said: "I'm sure it won't be her last deal with the Greens in this Parliament."

Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said it was "inevitable that the Greens would back the Budget".

But he said they had been "duped by promises of a review about the possibility of maybe having free transport for young people".

Labour's Rhoda Grant accused the Scottish Government of wasting money on "vanity projects and poor decisions".

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