Chamber and committees

Yes. I would probably agree with that.

In your evidence, Mr Taylor, you were quite positive about decision making around the Queensferry crossing, but you were less positive about the decision making involved in the 600 hours or whatever of early learning and childcare. Is that just because one of them is a bridge and it is pretty clear that two sides should join up, so, if they do, it is a success and, if they do not, it is a failure; whereas, with early learning and childcare, it is a little bit more vague?

You also said that there might be conflicting aims between what is best for the parents and what is best for the kids.

I want to pursue some of the areas that the convener has asked about. Paragraph 24 of your report, which is on page 7, under the heading “Fiscal Sustainability”, says:

“Based on the OBR’s suggested paths for reducing the projected UK Government deficit, we have modelled a scenario where the fiscal tightening is applied evenly across all areas of UK Government spending and taxation.”

What does that actually mean? Does it mean that half the gap will be met from spending and half will be met from taxation? Obviously, that would have an impact on us.

So, we would have both the cut to the block grant, which we would have to put into practice, and the extra 1.7 per cent or whatever figure.

That is, the Scottish Government budget is insulated, but not the people of Scotland, because the people of Scotland will have to pay more VAT or some kind of electric car duty or something to help as part of the UK applying the 10.1 per cent.

I am emphasising the 1.7 per cent, because it would be, as you have just said, differential. In a sense, that is what we have to worry about and what we can make decisions on, because, if the UK cuts expenditure by 10.1 per cent, we will certainly all complain about it but we will not be able to do anything about it.

On the theme of transparency, we also heard a witness say that too much transparency is harmful to decision making because writing everything down prevents civil servants from being frank with ministers. What is your response to that?

That is helpful. I confess that I have not read every word in the report. I focused on certain chapters, so I will go back to the one that I have read. I am struggling with figure 4.2 on page 44, as some of it seems a little counterintuitive, so I want to ask you to explain some of that.

For example, the first paragraph under the chart says:

“Scottish tax revenues would grow by an additional 5 per cent by 2072-73 ... because of the larger pool of Scottish tax payers. But the BGAs would increase four times as rapidly due to the impact of greater population growth in Scotland”

relative to England and Northern Ireland. I am struggling to understand that.

Mr Thurman, kindness is a point that came up in your report. Can you build kindness into the civil service, or is it just an individual thing?

Mr Thurman, you mentioned children and young people. I was going to ask about that anyway. In evidence from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and other people on communication, we heard that decisions that are being made should be better communicated to the general public, through, I presume, the language that is used. I am interested to hear your thoughts on that, and on the idea that children and young people should be more involved in decision making. When we come to discuss the national care service or the budget, is such involvement realistic?