Finance secretary Shona Robison’s Scottish Budget plans expected to pass first parliamentary vote

The SNP’s Budget Bill will go through its first parliamentary vote on Tuesday, with finance secretary Shona Robison emphasising the £21.7bn allocated for the “cherished” health and social care sectors.

The Budget legislation is expected to pass the stage one proceedings at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday after opposition parties struck deals with the SNP.

The Scottish Greens and the Scottish Liberal Democrats have reached separate agreements to back the Budget while Alba MSP Ash Regan has also confirmed she will vote for it.

Scottish Labour has said it will abstain on the tax and spending plans, while the Conservatives are expected to oppose it.

The tax and spending plans will face a final vote in Holyrood later this month.

The finance secretary said the money will be used to bring down waiting times in the NHS.

Robison said on Monday: “The Scottish Budget targets funding at measures to improve the lives of Scottish people, with record investment in the public services on which we all rely.

“Scotland’s NHS is one of our most cherished institutions, which is why the Budget provides £21.7bn for health and social care, including £200m to reduce waiting times and help tackle delayed discharge.”

She added: “We know the NHS is still under considerable pressure due to lingering effects of the pandemic. Relieving this pressure is one of our main objectives.

“To that end, we have committed to a substantial increase in capacity to ensure no one waits more than a year for treatment by March 2026.

“The changes we propose will deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the coming year.”

The deals struck by the Greens and Lib Dems cost a total of £16.7 m.

The Lib Dems secured increased investment for drugs services and hospices, while the Greens were given a pledge for a regional scheme to cap bus fares at £2.

Ministers have also pledged to mitigate the effects of the two-child benefit cap, though opponents point out no money has been set aside for this in the 2025/26 spending plans.