Scottish Budget 2021 to 2022: final outturn report

Report to present a statement of Final Outturn for the financial year 2021 to 2022 against the statutory limits authorised through the appropriate legislative processes by the Scottish Parliament.


Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts

6. The scope of the Scottish Government's Consolidated Accounts is determined by the requirements of the Government's Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) and covers elements not included within HM Treasury fiscal totals.

7. The Scottish Government's 2021-22 Consolidated Accounts[1] reports a final expenditure outturn of £49.2 billion against the approved budget of £51.2 billion, generating an underspend of £1,988 million.

8. Taking into account other bodies included within the Scottish Administration boundary, the position shows final expenditure outturn of £55.5 billion against the approved Parliamentary budget of £57.5 billion, generating an underspend of £2,082 million.

9. The inclusion of the directly-funded bodies completes the picture. The overall reported position for the total Scottish Budget in 2021-22 shows an expenditure outturn of £55.6 billion against the approved Parliamentary budget of £57.7 billion. This results in an underspend of £2,087 million which represents just over 3 per cent of budget. Table 1 below provides further detail, note figures provided are as reported in the audited accounts in each body.

Table 1 - Comparison of Outturn to the Budget Approved by the Scottish Parliament
2021-22 Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts Final
Outturn
Budget Over /
Under
£million £million £million
Finance and Economy 2,080 2,616 (536)
Health and Sport 18,462 18,398 64
Education and Skills 3,781 4,587 (806)
Net Zero Energy and Transport 4,061 4,536 (475)
Constitution External Affairs and Culture 355 354 1
Justice 3,084 3,123 (39)
Rural Affairs and Islands 876 948 (72)
Social Justice Housing and Local Government 16,290 16,411 (121)
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Response 63 72 (9)
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal 185 180 5
Total Scottish Government 49,237 51,225 (1,988)
Food Standards Scotland 21 22 (1)
National Records of Scotland 61 61 0
NHS & Teachers Pension Schemes 5,966 6,026 (60)
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator 4 4 (0)
Registers of Scotland (4) 21 (25)
Revenue Scotland 7 7 (0)
Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service 172 179 (7)
Scottish Fiscal Commission 2 2 (0)
Scottish Housing Regulator 4 5 (1)
Total Scottish Administration 55,470 57,552 (2,082)
Scottish Parliament Corporate Body 124 128 (4)
Audit Scotland 16 17 (1)
Total Scottish Budget 55,610 57,697 (2,087)

10. The total underspend of £2,087 million does not represent a loss of spending power to the Scottish Government.

11. Significant underspends relate to ring-fenced, non-cash budgets or Annually Managed Expenditure:

a. £569 million relates to ring-fenced non-cash budgets, of which the majority of the underspend is in relation to the Student Loan Valuation model and is a direct reflection of the late movement in the Resource Accounting and Budgeting Charge (RAB) and Stock charges relating to Student Loans. The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge is the estimated cost to Government of borrowing to support the student finance system. This is a non-cash movement, representing an adjustment to the impairment of student loans based on economist expectations of likely repayments.

b. £314 million relates to Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) budgets which are ring-fenced budgets set by HM Treasury. Any under/overspends shown against UK-funded Annually Managed Expenditure cannot be deposited in the Scotland Reserve and have no subsequent impact on the Scottish Budget. These budgets are not available for general public services. 

12. £699 million is carried forward in the Scotland Reserve, the majority of which had been anticipated and therefore included in our 2022-23 funding position.

13. £559 million are adjustments to funding actioned post completion of the Spring Budget Revision and therefore not reflected in the Scottish Budget.

Contact

Email: fiscalmanagement@gov.scot

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