Urgent - SNP Policy changes

October 2014:

Conference - in the aftermath of the No vote in September, the SNP Government has been forced into carrying out an urgent review of current spending policies and priorities within Scotland as many of the current spending plans were predicated on a Yes vote and Scotland having complete control over its public finances.

The impact of Scotland's share of the £27 billion of public service cuts both Labour and the Tories are committed to at Westminster, after the May 2015 election, coupled with the ending of the Barnet Formula requires cuts to Scottish spending of in excess of £8 billion in 2015-16 and a further reduction of £3 billion per year over the following four years. To achieve these cuts, within the balanced budget required of us by the Scotland Act 1998 and the amendment bill of 2012, they will, sadly, have to fall on services and support we have previously sought to protect from Westminster's avarice and small mindedness.

We have sought to spread the cuts evenly across Scottish Public Services to this end we will be bring forward urgent statutory orders and bills of the Scottish Parliament between now and May 2016 to enable the following:

1. The sell off of Scottish Ambulance Service to private contract and to allow further privatisation of areas of NHS Scotland when and as required. We are also seeking to remove access to NHS Dentistry to all those with a current a salary of £25,000 p.a. or more
2. Current support to Scottish Councils to alleviate the impacts of Westminster 'Bedroom tax' legislation will be withdrawn along with the salary support allowance given to enable the payment of a 'living wage' to low paid council employees. All current Scottish Government Council grants are being reviewed to seek further areas where we can reduce costs. The current levels of central support for the Care of the Elderly Scheme will also be reduced in preparation for the future privatisation of this service under TTIP requirements
3. We have informed INEOS we will no longer be able to support the offer in grants and low interest loans offered as part of the deal to keep the refinery open and the construction of the new gas liquefaction plant. We understand that INEOS will now go ahead with its plan to close Grangemouth and will be issuing 40 day notices within the next few days
4. Scottish Government support for renewables is also to be cut to bring it line with UK Government allowances and grants. This puts the future development of the sub-sea tidal generation barrage in the Pentland Firth at risk unless the UK Government fills the gap left by the end of Scottish Government subsidy and support grants
5. The reduction in money available to the Scottish Government will also require the slow down of a number of infrastructure projects currently underway causing further delays to the new Forth Crossing and the Aberdeen Bye-pass and indefinite suspension of the A9 dual carriage way completion between Perth and Inverness until funding is made available by Westminster or can be found from the Scottish budget.
6. The Scottish Government will seek to provide primary and secondary education provision under private contract using a mix of Education Co-Operatives and sponsored academies as already is the case in England and Wales

I have been in discussion with COSLA and the relevant public service trade unions to say they are not pleased with these developments would be to understate how they and I feel about these savage cuts. I have invited interested parties to come up with alternative saving plans and informed the Labour, Liberal-Democratic and Conservative opposition at Holyrood of the SNP Government's change of direction which implements policies which fit in with their political stance of ending a 'something for nothing' society in Scotland and have their sought support for, what are after all, the stated economic, health and welfare policies of their main UK Parties.

We as a party and as Yes Campaigners sought to make the serious risk to public services a No vote would bring with it, clear to the people of Scotland. They chose not to listen and vote for the status quo and it is with great sadness and regret I seek the conference's approval for this program of deep and serious cuts to Scotland's Public Services. Further I can not promise conference that, if we are still in Government at Holyrood after May 2016, I will not return to future SNP conferences to seek support for further cuts in Scottish Public services as the impact of further economic stagnation in the Sterling zone and Sterling devaluation hits us in Scotland, as Westminster continues to prop up the City of London at all costs.

I ask conference to agree to these cuts in Scottish Public Services and open the floor to discussion for and against my proposal, prior to a vote of conference on this motion being called at 4 pm.