Scottish Budget 2023-2024: final outturn report
A statement of final outturn for the financial year 2023 to 2024 against the statutory limits authorised by the Scottish Parliament through the appropriate legislative processes.
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. The variances are driven by different reporting boundaries. The Accounts are based against the Spring Budget Revision (SBR, which represents the final amended budget approved by Parliament), which does not include final borrowing and funding decisions (as a number by necessity take place in March), or the impact of final consequential changes from the final UK Supplementary Estimates process, which concluded after the SBR had been finalised. Therefore, as these reports are generated on a different basis, the figures reported in the Consolidated Accounts and the Provisional and Final Outturns will differ.
7. The Scottish Government’s 2023-24 Consolidated Accounts [1] reports a final expenditure outturn of £54.0 billion against the approved budget of £54.3 billion, generating an underspend of £277 million.
8. Taking into account other bodies included within the wider Scottish Administration boundary, the position shows final expenditure outturn of £57.5 billion against the approved Parliamentary budget of £58.3 billion, generating an underspend of £842 million.
9. The inclusion of the directly-funded bodies (i.e. Scottish Parliament and Audit Scotland) completes the picture. The overall reported position for the total Scottish Budget in 2023-24 shows an expenditure outturn of £57.6 billion against the approved Parliamentary budget of £58.5 billion. This results in an underspend of £847 million which represents 1.5 percent of budget. Table 1 below provides further detail. It should be noted the figures provided are as reported in the audited accounts of each body.
| 2023-24 Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts | Final Outturn | Budget as at Spring Budget Revision | Over / Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| £million | £million | £million | |
| Constitution External Affairs and Culture | 270 | 272 | (2) |
| Deputy First Minister and Finance | 12,977 | 12,946 | 31 |
| Education and Skills | 5,065 | 5,174 | (109) |
| Justice | 3,396 | 3,367 | 29 |
| NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care | 19,138 | 19,074 | 64 |
| Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands | 1,072 | 1,146 | (74) |
| Social Justice | 6,678 | 6,675 | 3 |
| Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition | 3,921 | 4,069 | (148) |
| Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy | 1,263 | 1,324 | (61) |
| The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal | 200 | 210 | (10) |
| Total Scottish Government as per Consolidated Accounts | 53,980 | 54,257 | (277) |
| Consumer Scotland | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Crown Estates | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Environmental Standards Scotland | 3 | 4 | (1) |
| Food Standards Scotland | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| National Records of Scotland | 31 | 33 | (2) |
| NHS & Teachers Pension Schemes | 3,211 | 3,762 | (551) |
| Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Registers of Scotland | 6 | 11 | (5) |
| Revenue Scotland | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service | 192 | 198 | (6) |
| Scottish Fiscal Commission | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Scottish Housing Regulator | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Total Scottish Administration | 57,466 | 58,308 | (842) |
| Scottish Parliament | 15 | 18 | (3) |
| Audit Scotland | 131 | 133 | (2) |
| Total Scottish Budget | 57,612 | 58,459 | (847) |
10. The total underspend of £847 million does not represent a loss of spending power to the Scottish Government.
11. Full details of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts underspends which make up the £277 million underspend are outlined here.
12. Of the remaining figures over and above the Consolidated Accounts position, the most material variance (a £551 million underspend) relates to NHS and Teacher pension schemes. The pension schemes fall under Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) budgets, which are ring-fenced budgets set by HM Treasury. Any under/over spends 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 non-discretionary and are not available to support general public services.
Contact
Email: corporate.reporting@gov.scot