Economic Levers and Devolved and Reserved Powers: FOI release

Information requested

1) What percentage of the economic levers does the Scottish Government have competence for?

2) What percentage of these powers do we have limited competence over?

3) Why have the UK government only partially devolved welfare benefits and is there added difficulties involved because of this?

4) Who compiles GERS and what department is responsible for collecting the data required to provide the estimates?

Response

As set out in the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) publication, control over more than 70% of revenue and 40% of expenditure remains reserved to the UK Government, meaning that less than 30% of revenue and 60% of expenditure is devolved to the Scottish Government. Further information on the powers which are fully and partially devolved to the Scottish Government is available from the Scottish Parliament website at:
Devolved and Reserved Powers | Scottish Parliament Website

The devolution of social security follow the agreement between the Scottish and UK Governments set out in the Smith Commission agreement. Details of this are available at:
[ARCHIVED CONTENT] The Smith Commission (nationalarchives.gov.uk)

For more information around the rationale behind the approach to the devolution of benefits to Social Security Scotland please see the programme business case
(Social Security Programme Business Case - gov.scot (www.gov.scot))

The GERS publication is compiled by statisticians in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser. Further information on the data sources and methodologies are set out at in the publication and associated methodology guides available at:
Economy statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.