Parliament to scrutinise spending plans.
Legislation to implement the draft 2026-27 Budget with record
funding for the NHS, landmark policies to tackle child poverty
and enhanced cost of living support has been published.
The Budget Bill allows parliament to scrutinise the Scottish
Government's spending proposals of almost £68 billion before
votes next month.
Finance Secretary said she hoped to secure
support from across parliament as she urged constructive
engagement with the next steps of the process.
Ms Robison said:
“Our spending plans provide help for hard-pressed families and
businesses alongside investment in public services and
infrastructure.
“The Budget expands our game-changing efforts to eradicate child
poverty and provides greater opportunities to attain the
necessary skills to gain from, and contribute to, our economy.
“Following earlier cross-parliament engagement, priorities of
opposition members are included alongside the Scottish
Government's spending plans, including more money to improve
neurodevelopmental assessments and care for children and young
people.
“It is a budget worth voting for, and we will continue to seek to
work constructively to ensure it passes.”
Background
Budget Bill
Proposed income tax rates and bands, which will apply from April,
are set out in a Scottish Rate Resolution that is subject to a
separate vote before the final stage of the Bill.
The 2026-27 Budget includes:
- a record £22.5 billion for health and social care, including
a record £17.6 billion for NHS boards and resources to begin the
national rollout of walk-in GP clinics, making it easier to
access same-day appointments
- significant extra funding for universities and colleges, with
colleges seeing a combined increase of £70 million in resource
and capital funding, equivalent to a 10% uplift, targeted
support to help retrain workers in the oil and gas sector and
ongoing commitment to Scotland's apprenticeships, which this year
will provide more than 31,000 Scots with a pathway to
sustainable, well-paid jobs
- a cost of living package to: help families with funding to
trial a programme of activities in a range of primary schools
between 3-6pm; a Summer of Sport – free children's sporting
activities, including lessons on how to swim for every primary
school child in the country; and a breakfast club for every
primary school by August 2027
- funding to increase Scottish Child Payment to £28.20 per week
and investment to allow the introduction of a premium payment of
£40 per week for eligible children under 12 months from 2027-28,
bolstering efforts to drive down child poverty
- continued investment in Scotland's existing cost of living
measures, including free prescriptions, free eye examinations,
removal of peak rail fares on Scotrail, free tuition fees for
young Scots, free school meals for thousands of children,
including all pupils in P1 to P5, and free bus travel for
under-22s and over-60s
