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MSPs to debate Scottish government plans Finance Secretary John Swinney says he will not interfere with Fiscal Commission
(about 3 hours later)
MSPs are to continue their scrutiny of Scottish government legislative plans - which include national school testing and a cut to air passenger duty. Scotland's finance secretary has told MSPs he will not interfere with the work of the new Fiscal Commission.
Nicola Sturgeon set out her priorities at Holyrood on Tuesday, with more tax plans to be announced later. John Swinney came before members of the finance committee the day after the Scottish government made public its plans for the coming year.
Labour said the first minister's priorities were misplaced, claiming the air duty cut would cost more than is being spent on school attainment. The commission will scrutinise new tax and borrowing powers heading to Holyrood from Westminster and will make economic forecasts to parliament.
Ministers said they were striking the right balance for people in Scotland. Mr Swinney said he had "no control" over the "independent" body.
On Tuesday the first minister announced a new system of national testing for Scotland's primary schools. MSPs have begun debating the government's legislative programme which will feature eight bills, including;
Ms Sturgeon said improving school attainment was the most important goal of her new programme for government. Mr Swinney's evidence session to the Holyrood committee focused on the Fiscal Commission which has been set up in the wake of the recommendations of the Smith Commission on more devolution for Scotland.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Sturgeon said: "Education is good. Education is improving, but I want to see it improve further and faster, and in particular I want to target that gap in attainment between young people in the most deprived areas and those in the least deprived." The minister said: "The fiscal commission has been set up on an independent basis and I have no control over it.
She told MSPs at Holyrood that the new tests would be brought in for pupils in primaries one, four and seven and S3. "The only influence I have had over this is who are the members of the fiscal commission.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie warned that the move could lead to a return to school league tables. "I believed it was important that we had to appoint people of very strong professional reputational capability and people of high integrity."
Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, and the local authority group Cosla also warned that the information from the national tests could be used to compile league tables. Mr Swinney went on to say that those points were accepted across the parliament's political spectrum.
The publication of the programme for government signals the start of the Scottish Parliament's final session before next May's election, when Ms Sturgeon's SNP will be looking to win another overall majority. He added: "So, we have a fiscal commission which is independent, I cannot direct it. It has people of great capability and integrity in its members and it has, as I have demonstrated practically already - it is not even in statute yet - and it has exercised a veto over my forecasts.
The legislative programme will see eight new bills introduced. They are: "I think that should give people confidence that we have a body that fulfils the key tests of being able to exercise independent judgement."