ICI Committee - call for views on the Scottish Government’s draft budget 2015-16
The Infrastructure and Capital Investment (ICI) Committee will take evidence during October and November on the Scottish Government’s draft budget 2015-16 on issues under its remit. The Committee will hear from academic experts, stakeholders and the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities.
The Committee’s report last year proposed several ways of linking the draft budget with National Performance Framework (NPF), as a tool to help improve scrutiny, and it was agreed that this would be the basis of the Committee’s approach to its work on the Draft Budget 2015-16.
Given the wide ranging nature of its remit, the Committee identified the following National Indicators contained within the NPF on which it wishes to focus its scrutiny:
· Reduce Scotland’s Carbon Footprint
· Reduce traffic congestion
· Increase the proportion of journeys to work by public or active travel
The Committee will consider how the proposals in the draft budget related to its remit link with inputs, outputs and outcomes related to these National Indicators and to the National Purpose Target on reducing Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, also contained within the NPF.
In advance of this scrutiny, the Committee is interested in hearing your views on what you believe the key issues are for the draft budget in relation to the Performance Indicators identified above, specifically in relation to those policy areas which fall within its remit, namely transport, housing, broadband and water and sewerage infrastructure. In particular, what impact has policy intervention and budgetary provision in these areas made in relation to these National Indicators? In addition, to help reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint, are current investment levels appropriate or are further or different investments required now or in the next Spending Review to meet the Scottish Government’s climate change targets?
Your views
Your views will help shape the Committee’s scrutiny, and feed into oral evidence sessions with stakeholder representatives and the Cabinet Secretary. As required, the Committee will also ensure that issues relating to equal opportunities will be considered as part of its scrutiny.
The following information is provided for your assistance in preparing your submission; the closing date for which is Friday 31 October 2014. While the draft budget is not expected to be published until early October, the Committee wanted to give interested parties as much time as possible to formulate submissions.
How to respond
The Committee welcomes written evidence in English, Gaelic or any other language and submissions should be sent electronically to:
You may also make written submissions to:
Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee
T3.40
Scottish Parliament
EH99 1SP
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