NHS and social care targeted as Scottish Government faces £1billion black hole
dailyrecord.co.ukFirst Minister John Swinney has slashed NHS and social care as part of brutal cuts to fill a £1billion budget black hole.The SNP Government is cutting almost £500million from its budgets and also spending another £500million from a sell-off of Scotland’s wind energy.Finance Secretary Shona Robison tried to blame the cuts on Westminster, but last night Labour blamed “SNP waste” for the savage hit to public services.The cuts include a £116million reduction in health spending – with savings from mental health, the planned National Care Service for looking after elderly people and community eyecare.Robison told MSPs she needed to make £500million of cuts to help fund public sector pay deals.Up to £60million of the cuts are “emergency spending controls” that will target recruitment, overtime, travel and marketing.Another £65million will be saved by decisions including axing free travel for asylum seekers and reintroducing peak rail fares.But she revealed an additional £188million of departmental cuts, with £115.8million in health and social care.Labour finance chief Michael Marra hit out at the cuts, saying: “This statement is a threadbare, shameless attempt to once again pass the buck.“After 17 years in power, the SNP is still insisting ‘it wasn’t us’.
It’s the same script again and again.”Under questioning from Labour, Robison said of the health cuts: “Does this mean health and social care is immune from some of these difficult decisions?
No it doesn’t. But I know that Health Secretary Neil Gray and his team have worked extremely hard to ensure the £115million will have minimal impact on frontline services.”The “net zero and energy” budgets will be shaved by £23.4million and social justice will take a £15.7million hit.
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