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| Autumn statement: Extra £125m to be spent on NHS, Swinney confirms | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Scotland's Deputy First Minister has confirmed that an extra £125m announced in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement would be spent on the Scottish NHS. | |
| John Swinney said additional cash was always welcome but he added it could not compensate for the £2.7bn of real terms cuts made since 2010. | |
| Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Carmichael, said the Autumn Statement was good for Scotland. | |
| He added that the Scottish government should "crack on" and spend the money. | |
| The funding boost for the health service north of the border is to mirror the additional investment being ploughed into the NHS in England. | |
| Mr Swinney, who is also Scotland's finance secretary, was not obliged to spend the money on the healthcare system. | |
| However, he told BBC Scotland's Politics Scotland programme: "I am happy to confirm today that the consequentials that come to us from the NHS will be passed on directly to the NHS as we promised to do in the 2011 election." | |
| In the main, the minister was not happy with the Conservative Chancellor's economic statement to the House of Commons. | |
| 'Paying the price' | |
| He said: "The Scottish government is focused on securing economic growth, tackling inequality and protecting our public services. The Chancellor's budget fails to pass the test on all of these measures. | |
| "Today's budget shows the failure of the UK government's austerity policy and it is clear that we in Scotland are paying the price. | |
| "In 2010 the Chancellor embarked on his austerity programme and instead of putting the finances on a sound footing we are seeing borrowing this year of over £50bn higher than expected, lower tax revenues and austerity extended by at least a further two years." | |
| But Mr Carmichael insisted that the Scottish government had benefited from an extra £2.3bn in UK government money since the coalition was formed in 2010. | |
| He added: "Scotland chose to retain a shared currency, pensions, single market and the economic stability and security that comes from being part of the UK. | |
| "With more funding provided to the Scottish government today and more powers and great responsibility for the Scottish Parliament on the way, Scotland is strengthened by today's autumn statement." | |
| Mr Swinney said that Mr Osborne's changes to the stamp duty system for England, Wales and North Ireland was a copy of his plans which come into effect for Scotland on 1 April, 2015. | |
| From midnight there will no longer be a "slab" approach to the property tax. Buyers will pay a gradual levy, similar to income tax. | |
| This new system will apply north of the border until April, when a Scotland-only property charge will be implemented. | |
| It will have different bands to Mr Osborne's new system but it has been built on the same principle of a gradual levy. | |
| Mr Swinney said: "There are differences in the application of the rates and the bands, but fundamentally what the Chancellor has recognised is that on the first occasion that a Scottish finance minister has had the opportunity to design a tax power and a tax system in Scotland, the chancellor has gone away and copied it. | |
| "This is a landmark moment in that the Scottish government has taught the UK government how to do taxation." | |
| Mr Osborne's statement confirmed that the UK government block grant to Scotland - known as the Barnett formula - would fall by two-thirds when Holyrood is given control over income tax. | |
| He said more devolved powers planned for Scotland would mean the "importance" of the Barnett formula being "effectively" reduced. | |
| In its report last week, the Smith Commission recommended that some taxes should be raised and spent in Scotland. | In its report last week, the Smith Commission recommended that some taxes should be raised and spent in Scotland. |
| Mr Osborne's address to MPs on Wednesday comes ahead of the General Election in May 2015. | |
| His autumn statement was used to announce that Northern Ireland should have control over revenue-raiser Corporation tax. | His autumn statement was used to announce that Northern Ireland should have control over revenue-raiser Corporation tax. |
| That prompted the SNP administration at Holyrood to demand that Scotland should also have the power to set the levy north of the border. | That prompted the SNP administration at Holyrood to demand that Scotland should also have the power to set the levy north of the border. |
| The Treasury has so far rejected the calls from the Nationalists claiming that the case for Northern Ireland is different because it shares a land border with the Irish Republic. | The Treasury has so far rejected the calls from the Nationalists claiming that the case for Northern Ireland is different because it shares a land border with the Irish Republic. |
| The chancellor also announced a tax break for north sea oil and gas firms. He told MPs that lower oil prices were presenting a "challenge" to the industry. | The chancellor also announced a tax break for north sea oil and gas firms. He told MPs that lower oil prices were presenting a "challenge" to the industry. |
| A new allowance is also being introduced and the full details will be announced tomorrow in Aberdeen by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander. |