Chamber and committees

But you are going to be subject to the public sector equality duty at some point.

That is great. Thank you.

Do you want to come in, Professor Ulph?

I will start with a question for Mr Ireland. In the chief executive’s introduction to the commission’s annual report and accounts you say:

“We are continuing to work on the public understanding of fiscal policy in Scotland.”

I wonder whether that is possible. How is it going?

Thanks. I realise that we are tight for time.

In the past, Dame Susan Rice produced quite a long list of data needs. However, you are now saying that you will publish that only every two years because you seem to have cracked that. Is that right?

I will touch mainly on points that have been raised to some extent already. You have explained why Scotland’s earnings have been ahead of the UK’s in the past couple of years and in the current year. Are you assuming that that will continue to be the case? If so, is there a danger that that is a little bit optimistic?

Okay, but there is certainly a risk that we do not continue as we have been in the past couple of years.

In the past, almost the opposite happened, with quite large negative tax reconciliations being forecast that—thankfully—got a bit smaller. Do you think, then, that we are going in the opposite direction, with quite big positive reconciliations being forecast that might well reduce?

Okay. The figure of £668 million has been mentioned already. It is just 3.5 per cent of Scottish income tax revenues, which, as you have said in the report, is

“a relatively small shift in terms of income tax forecasts.”

I accept that, if we could forecast most things within 3.5 per cent, things would be fine. However, it is a very big figure when it comes to what we are allowed to have in reserves or to borrow. You seem to be quite relaxed about it, but do you understand that, for us and for the Government, the figure is quite worrying?

Yes.