Autumn Budget Revision 2024-25: supporting document

Format of Supporting Document

33. The Scottish Government continues to discuss with the Finance and Public Administration Committee and others how it can improve the presentation and usefulness of supporting information.

34. The summary tables on pages 15 to 24 set out the changes sought in the Order at portfolio level, and the effect of the proposed changes on the overall cash authorisations. There is a clear read across from the numbers shown on the face of the Budget Act to those in these tables, and to the revised numbers shown in the Autumn Budget Revision Order itself. Tables 1.5 and 1.6 provide a reconciliation between budgets and the cash authorisations. Tables 1.7 (a) and (b) show the sources of funding that support the changes applied and the movement of available resources. Table 1.8 shows the voted Capital Spending and Net Investment for each portfolio following the ABR adjustments. It should be noted that for the remainder of the document, only spending that scores as capital in the Scottish Government’s or Direct Funded Bodies’ Annual Accounts is shown as capital.

35. The main body of the document then provides a more detailed analysis of the proposed changes on a portfolio by portfolio basis. For each portfolio and direct-funded body, it shows:

• a summary of the changes proposed for the portfolio;
• how the proposed revised portfolio budget is comprised in terms of operating and capital resources, divided into the main spending aggregates: Expenditure Limit, UK Funded AME (Annually Managed Expenditure) and Other spending to show TME (Total Managed Expenditure) in respect of the Scottish Budget;
• details of the proposed major changes; and
• details of the proposed revised budgets disaggregated to Level 3.

36. The Scottish Government’s spending proposals are in the main presented to Parliament in resource terms. But to meet the requirements of the “Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000”, Budget Bills and Revisions seek authority for the budgets of Non Departmental Public Bodies in cash, and NDPB numbers in this supporting document are also given in cash terms. In order to allow comparison with NDPB budgets presented in other Scottish Government publications, the following table compares cash and budgets.

Process for the Budget Revision

37. Following detailed consideration by the Subordinate Legislation and Finance Committees, the Scottish Parliament has an opportunity to vote on the Autumn Budget Revision Order subject to a recommendation by the Finance and Public Administration Committee.