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Plans published by the SNP identifying cash savings of £600m have been met with incredulity from Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The efficiency-delivery plans also contained details of how the Scottish Government would move towards 2% savings in both 2009-10 and 2010-11. Last year, finance secretary, John Swinney, laid out plans to find £1.6bn in efficiency savings over three years, but his critics warned it had not been identified where savings would be made. The Lib Dems said details were ‘missing' in the plan, and Labour described the SNP administration as a ‘big letdown'. Mr Swinney accepted the programme was a ‘demanding' one, but said the plans demonstrated the ruling party's commitment to delivering improved public services through ‘clearer and simpler government'. He said: ‘By cutting waste, simplifying government and ensuring practices across the public sector are as efficient as they can be, we will deliver £600m in savings over the next year. ‘That's money which will be invested back into making a real difference to people's lives.' But Labour's Iain Gray said the SNP was ‘passing the buck' to local government to deal with its poor financial management, which had seen a year of over-promising and under-delivering. And Liberal Democrat shadow sustainable growth secretary, Tavish Scott, added: ‘The SNP plans show that more than £2bn of efficiency savings are unplanned. ‘Health boards, local councils and universities and colleges have just been given a target, with no evidence or detail on how they will meet it. ‘The Government has made big boasts about savings, but has failed to back these up with hard details. ‘This is not an efficiency plan. It's an "over to you and nothing to do with me" plan.'

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WHITEHALL

Rival parties reject SNP's savings boast

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