Resource Spending Review Framework: Analysis of consultation responses

9. Other comments

Additional priorities

In responding to our question on the three priorities outlined in the Framework, respondents took the opportunity to provide their views on potential additional priorities. These include:

• Health, including specific suggestions on prioritising the ongoing COVID-19 response on reducing health inequalities. Mental health was also put forward as a significant priority by some organisations. There were also suggestions around investing in the whole system for health care, including local government.
• Investment in social care and the care workforce, including addressing the issues of unpaid care.
• The specific inclusion of equality and human rights as a priority within the RSR Framework.
• Investment and policy action to ensure that citizens can live well locally.
• Education, including building Scotland's education system, free school breakfasts and the tertiary education system.
• The enhanced provision of childcare.
• A focus on advancing national wellbeing.
• Support for the Third Sector, including sustainable funding mechanisms.
• Prioritisation and investment in Scotland's children and young people.

Calls for additional funding

In responding to our question on the drivers of public sector costs, most organisations recommended investment in areas that they either represented, or had a particular interest in. Calls for additional funding were also made in other questions in the consultation and during external engagement sessions.

We have listed the recurring areas where calls for additional funding or investment were made:

• Social care;
• Third Sector – in particular around the sustainability of funding and the importance of the sector in delivery outcomes for the citizens of Scotland and providing essential services (such as social care);
• Universal free school meals;
• Social security benefit expenditure;
• Housing supply;
• Lifelong learning;
• Just transition, including specific measures for rural homes;
• Climate change mitigations;
• Investment in colleges;
• Investments in services, programmes and infrastructure to support decarbonisation;
• Active travel infrastructure, resources for physical activity and behaviour change interventions;
• Nature and nature-based solutions;
• Crisis services;
• Scientific collaboration across disciplines; and,
• Alcohol treatment services