£500 MILLION CUT CONFIRMED – SCOTLAND WILL SEE REAL TERMS CUT IN INVESTMENT.

£500 MILLION CUT CONFIRMED – SCOTLAND WILL SEE REAL TERMS CUT IN INVESTMENT.

9,000 JOBS UNDER THREAT – SCOTLAND FACING BIGGER CUT THAN UK DEPARTMENTS.

SNP Treasury spokesperson, Stewart Hosie, has highlighted Scottish Government figures that point to a threatened 9,000 job losses as a result of the real terms cut in the Scottish Budget in 2010/11 announced by the Chancellor today.

Mr Hosie pointed to remarks of the Chancellor during the Budget statement when he warned that spending cuts would “choke off recovery” and “you can grow your way out of recession – you cannot cut your way out of it.” The actions the Chancellor rejected for the UK are ones he is now forcing on Scotland. Scotland’s share of the proposed spending cuts is above our population share and will see a reduction next year in the Scottish Government’s Departmental Expenditure Limit of £500 million.

Commenting Mr Hosie said:

“Darling and Brown are speaking with forked tongues. This Budget threatens 9,000 Scottish jobs. It will mean a real terms cut in Scottish spending, and is the wrong choice in the middle of the recession.

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor attack the Tories for planning cuts in UK spending and yet Labour are doing the exact same here in Scotland.

“This is the first real terms cut in Scottish spending since the dark days of the Tory spending plans of the 1990’s.

“The Chancellor’s actions will threaten our actions for recovery, by slashing the money available in Scotland to invest in jobs and communities.

“Unemployment has risen by 15,000 over the year in Scotland, and in one day, the Chancellor’s actions have put at risk 9,000 more.

“Labour are cutting the wrong things – they should not be cutting investment in Scottish economic recovery but the £5 billion they will spend on ID cards or the £25 billion cost of replacing Trident.

“It is right to tighten our belts, that’s why the Scottish Government has a 2% a year efficiency programme, with the savings reinvested in public services. But the UK plans top slice money from the Scottish Government budget.

“Labour have chosen to stab at the heart of crucial Scottish budgets in health and education, skills, housing and enterprise. The price will be paid by Scottish families and communities in lost jobs.

“It isn’t too late to force the UK government to think again – the people of Scotland can do this and protect jobs and our recovery at the European election in a few weeks and the general election in a few months.”