Rachel Reeves challenges SNP to improve NHS performance in Scotland after £3.4bn boost

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Rachel Reeves has challenged SNP ministers to reduce NHS waiting times in Scotland after handing Holyrood a £3.4 billion spending boost.

The Labour Chancellor told the Scottish Government it "now had to deliver" after devolved governments were yesterday allocated the largest real-terms financial settlement in 25 years.

"We’ve given £3.4 billion in the settlement to Scotland, which takes into account all of those pressures and the challenge now for the SNP in Scotland is to use that money wisely to start reducing waiting times," Reeves said today.

"Frankly, the performance of the NHS in Scotland under the SNP is worse than in any part of the United Kingdom, and that money now needs to be used to address the priorities of the Scottish people.

“Talking to Scottish MPs yesterday in Parliament, this settlement was very welcome, the biggest settlement in the history of devolution.

“The Scottish Government now need to deliver.”

Reeves - who delivered the first Labour Budget since 2010 - insisted she had to make “difficult decisions” to address the £21.9 billion black hole she inherited from the Tories.

She added: "I put everything out in the open yesterday and I know that that can bring stability back to our economy by giving confidence to people.

"But we had to make difficult decisions to raise the money so that we could reduce NHS waiting lists, so that we could build the homes that our country needs, so that we could give the settlement to Scotland yesterday, £3.4 billion, the biggest post-devolution settlement to Scotland in all of those years.”

She added: “In Scotland, the SNP now need to use that money that we have allocated wisely to start to reduce those waiting lists in Scotland, because they are out of control, and that is a sad legacy of the Government in Scotland.

"We’re less than four months into this new Labour Government, we’ve made a start in restoring stability to our public finances. We’ve made a start getting those NHS waiting lists down and we’ve made a start at introducing the policies to grow our economy.

"But there’s more to do. I’m determined, through the planning reform, the pensions reform, the skills reform, that we grow our economy, create more good jobs in all parts of the UK, including in Scotland."

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