FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM
This Draft Budget marks the start of the budget process for 2006-07. At the conclusion of the spending review in 2004, we published our strategy and spending plans for the next three years up to 2007-08, showing how we will invest your money to deliver the best results for the people of Scotland. This document provides more detail and updates those plans.
In consultation with the Finance Committee, we have revised the budget process to take greater account of the different handling required in those years without a spending review. The Annual Evaluation Report is now a long-term strategy document published only in spending review years. This shortens the budget process in non-spending review years such as this one, when change is more limited, and enables Parliamentary committees to focus their scrutiny on the times when major decisions are made.
Following the postponement of the next UK Spending Review until 2007, we will consider our approach to the budget process in the interim period with the Finance Committee.
We will of course continue to consult widely on our plans. Our aim is to make the budget process as open and transparent as possible, and we welcome participation from all sectors of society. Parliamentary committees will consider our plans, and we will also seek views from the public at an event this autumn. The consultation period will end with a full parliamentary debate in December. We will then seek formal parliamentary approval for our spending plans for 2006-07 in the Budget Bill to be introduced in January 2006.
TOM MCCABE MSP MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM