Russell Findlay accuses Scottish Government of being ‘addicted to secrecy’ after critical report

John Swinney has been accused of showing “no leadership, no transparency, no answers, just broken promises” by Russell Findlay following the publication of a critical report by the spending watchdog.

Audit Scotland has called on the government to deliver a “clear and costed vision” for the reform of public services, warning that otherwise those services will come under threat.

It said ministers has relied on “short-term decisions” to balance the books instead of making fundamental changes to delivery, and that the government had not been transparent enough with either the parliament or public about financial risks.

Raising the report at First Minister’s Questions, the Scottish Tory leader accused the first minister of being “addicted to secrecy” and said the government had “no idea” about the cost of or savings to come from reform. He added: “Under the SNP there's no leadership, no transparency, no answers – just broken promises, pathetic excuses and making it up as they go along.”

John Swinney said the Scottish Government had shown financial responsibility by balancing the books every year, adding ministers had “lived within the resources that are available to us”.

The report by the auditor general highlights the government had delayed financial strategies and plans for NHS and infrastructure investment, which made “scrutiny of the current uncertain financial situation more difficult”.

It also said ministers had not established effective governance arrangements for reform, had not estimates costs of reform, nor provided leadership to help public bodies deliver change.

Stephen Boyle, Scotland’s auditor general, said: “People do not fully understand the medium-term risks public services are facing because of a lack of transparency from the Scottish Government. 

“The reality is that we need a fundamental change to how public money is spent to ensure services can meet demand and remain affordable beyond the short-term. 

“To turn that into action on the ground, the Scottish Government must set out a clearer vision of what its plans for reform will achieve, including delivery milestones and the likely impact of reform on services and people.”