The report of an independent review group made recommendations designed to improve support for those young people in Scotland who were at the greatest risk of experiencing long-term unemployment.
Source: Smith Group, The Smith Group: Recommendations for the Scottish Government, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Nov
An audit report in Scotland said that community planning partnerships needed to build on their economic development activity to help meet local needs. Partnerships should also make better use of available information and improve their understanding of the costs involved in delivering local economic priorities.
Source: The Role of Community Planning Partnerships in Economic Development, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A report (by an official advisory body) examined how much progress had been made in Scotland towards integrating employment and skills, and what more needed to be done.
Source: Review of Employment and Skills, UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
The Scottish Government published its 2011 spending review and draft Budget for 2012-13. Measures included switching over £750 million from resource spending to capital projects in order to support job creation, and Introducing a new public health levy on large retailers to tackle the cost problems associated with alcohol and tobacco.
Source: Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Equality statement | Speech | Scottish Government press release (1) | Scottish Government press release (2) | COSLA press release | CPPR brief (1) | CPPR brief (2) | NUS press release | SFHA press release | UCU press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Sep
An audit report in Scotland said that public bodies might be unable to make the savings required of them through efficiency improvements and without cuts to services.
Source: Scotland s Public Finances: Addressing the challenges, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | BBC report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Aug
A briefing paper provided background to the establishment of the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services in Scotland (the 'Christie Commission'), summarized its main conclusions and recommendations, and outlined some initial reaction to the report.
Source: Allan Campbell, The Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, Briefing 11/52, Scottish Parliament
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A paper examined the potential contribution of universities and colleges in Scotland to improved skills utilization in the workplace.
Source: Jonathan Payne, Scotland s Skills Utilisation Programme: An interim evaluation, Research Paper 101, Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (Cardiff and Oxford Universities)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jul
The report of an independent commission (chaired by Campbell Christie) called for a shift in public service provision in Scotland to a more preventative, collaborative, and outcome-based approach. It estimated that up to 40 per cent of Scottish public spending went on remedying problems that early intervention could have prevented, and said that a 'radical, new, collaborative culture' was needed to prevent unsustainable pressure on public services funding.
Source: Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release | STUC press release | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Scotsman report
Date: 2011-Jun
The Scotland Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to provide the Scottish Parliament with new tax and borrowing powers including setting a Scottish income tax rate each year covering approximately 35 per cent of its revenue spending.
Source: Scotland Bill, Scotland Office, TSO | Debate 21 June 2011, columns 222-294, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jun
The coalition government announced changes to the Scotland Bill designed to provide greater financial responsibility to the Scottish Parliament. The devolved government would be allowed to raise more money in addition to the £12 billion of financial powers already proposed in the Bill, and might be allowed to issue its own bonds.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 13 June 2011, columns 55-56WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Scottish Government press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jun
A report said that national income (GDP) was an insufficient and misleading measure of whether life in Scotland was improving. It called for a shift of emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring well-being. This included better ways of measuring inequalities in health, housing, and education.
Source: Maf Smith and Sylviane Herren, More than GDP: Measuring What Matters – Report of the Round Table on Measuring Economic Performance and Social Progress in Scotland, Carnegie UK Trust
Links: Report | Carnegie press release | St Andrews University press release
Date: 2011-May
The Scottish Government published its response to the 'Europe 2020' strategy for economic growth and social cohesion. It set out how the policies of the Scottish Government contributed to European economic recovery.
Source: Europe 2020: Scottish National Reform Programme 2011, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A report outlined the findings from the first year of a three-year longitudinal study examining the opportunities and challenges facing third sector organizations in Scotland in the delivery of public services.
Source: Stephen Osborne, Elric Honore, Sue Bond, and Matthew Dutton, The Opportunities and Challenges of the Changing Public Services Landscape for the Third Sector in Scotland: A longitudinal study year one report – Baseline findings, Scottish Government
Date: 2011-Feb
The Scottish Government Budget for 2011-12 was approved by the Scottish Parliament. It included an agreement with local authorities to deliver a further council tax freeze, and to maintain police numbers and key education and social care commitments. Spending on health services would be protected, and remaining prescription charges would be abolished. Existing eligibility criteria for free personal care and concessionary travel would be maintained.
Source: Budget (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Supporting document | Official Report | Scottish Government press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report reviewed evidence on the impact of reduced public spending on equalities groups. It focused on job losses in the public sector; access to the types of public services that were funded by the Scottish Government; and welfare and tax issues that were reserved to the United Kingdom government (and hence were less likely to be of interest to the Scottish Government). The report concluded that equalities groups would be especially vulnerable to public spending cuts, as they were well represented in the public sector workforce and were also significant users of public services.
Source: Ronald McQuaid, Valerie Egdell, and Emma Hollywood, The Impact of Reduced Public Services Spending on Vulnerable Groups: Review of UK and international evidence, Employment Research Institute (Edinburgh Napier University)
Date: 2011-Feb
An audit report in Scotland said that public sector pension schemes faced 'significant cost pressures', and would need major reforms.
Source: The Cost of Public Sector Pensions in Scotland, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Feb
The Scottish Government published the Budget (Scotland) Bill, setting out its fiscal plans for 2011-12. It included an agreement with local authorities to deliver a further council tax freeze, and to maintain police numbers and key education and social care commitments. Spending on health services would be protected, and remaining prescription charges would be abolished. Existing eligibility criteria for free personal care and concessionary travel would be maintained.
Source: Budget (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Supporting document | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2011-Jan
An audit report said that the Scottish Government had improved its oversight of major capital projects such as hospitals, schools, prisons, and roads in the face of increasing budget pressures and uncertainties.
Source: Management of the Scottish Government's Capital Investment Programme, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release
Date: 2011-Jan
A report by a committee of MSPs said that public services needed to focus more on preventing social problems arising rather than reacting to problems once they had occurred.
Source: Report on Preventative Spending, 1st Report 2011, SP Paper 555, Scottish Parliament Finance Committee
Links: Report | CCPS press release
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined the job-attribute preferences of workers resident in Scotland – the extent to which individuals desired specific qualities and outcomes from their paid work. The most salient influences on workers' preferences were gender, family circumstances, educational qualifications, and employment status.
Source: John Sutherland, Job Attribute Preferences in Scotland, Working Paper 27, Centre for Public Policy for Regions (University of Glasgow)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan