Press Association
Saturday 11th February 2012
The Scottish Government has faced fresh calls to set out its spending plans for next year when £1.7 billion will be cut from its Budget.
Labour say the absence of a draft Budget for 2011/12 is damaging confidence and undermining the prospect of recovery.
First Minister Alex Salmond insisted on Wednesday it would be "foolish" to publish spending plans before the Government's final Budget was confirmed by Westminster.
MSPs at Holyrood will consider a recent report by the Independent Budget Review group which set out a range of options for potential cutbacks, including the prospect of 50,000 public sector job losses.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said Westminster cuts left the country facing a "very acute financial challenge".
He said: "Scotland's budget is forecast to shrink by £3.7 billion in real terms over the next four years because of Westminster cuts - two-thirds of which were set in train by the previous UK administration and the other third by the coalition.
"We have to address that in the Scottish Parliament, which is why I commissioned the Independent Budget Review.
"The Scottish Government has to wait until we have the full financial information from the UK Government on October 20 before setting our Budget - that is the only credible way to proceed."
But Labour finance spokesman David Whitton urged the Government to "get on with it" and publish a budget.
He added: "Ministers have been given detailed information from the Independent Budget Report, their chief economic adviser and the Treasury, so they should be able to provide MSPs with a best and worse case scenario."
