I have been appointed as Budget Adviser to the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee. The Convener of the Committee has clarified that “The Welfare Reform Committee expects its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2014-15 to focus primarily on the clear budget lines of the Scottish Welfare Fund and Council Tax Reduction.”
The conventions of the post require that all aspects of advice given are confidential and that statements are made by the elected politicians, not advisers. When the Committee has completed its deliberations in November, I will report on its published documents. However, I will not be making any personal comment on either the Scottish Government’s 2014-15 budget or on the Committee’s report.