Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland Nicol Stephen, has called on the First Minister to think again about the shackles he has placed on his Council of Economic Advisers.

In a letter to Mr Stephen the First Minister confirms that the Council will be prevented from assessing the forthcoming spending review which will allocate £90 billion of public money.

After receiving the First Minister’s response Nicol Stephen said:

“The First Minister’s letter makes it plain that the Council of Economic Advisers is forbidden to look at the Spending Review.

“The First Minister assembled a strong team of advisers. I gave him credit for that. But the First Minister has now blocked off entire corridors of power from scrutiny.

“I am calling on the First Minister to reverse his decision. He should take the shackles off his advisers and allow them to work in the interest of the whole of Scotland. The SNP budget should not be out of bounds for scrutiny.

“The remit of the council of economic advisers in the United States specifically instructs them to appraise the various programmes and activities of the Government to see how they contribute to the achievement of policy.

“In Holland, the Council of Economic Advisers has a duty to give advice on budget plans twice a year.

“My call to the First Minister is to allow the Council to scrutinise the SNP government and its spending plans.

“The Council should be allowed to look at the SNP’s budget plans so that they can have the opportunity to assess whether ministers are living up to their economic priorities.

“It is the most important set of decisions ministers will take – allocating £90 billion of spending for the next three years.
Yet the First Minister won’t allow his hand-picked team of advisors to look at these crucial issues.

“There should be no place for a ‘no entry’ sign for this
economic advice.”