UK government’s ‘Project Fact’ enters final phase
19 Jun 2014 04:05 PM
Government publishes
conclusions of its Scotland Analysis programme.
The UK government today (19 June
2014) publishes the conclusions of the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis
of Scotland’s place in the UK ever undertaken.
‘United Kingdom,
united future: Conclusions of the Scotland analysis
programme’ summarises over 1,400 pages of analysis, the opinions
of hundreds of independent experts and organisations on what a separate
Scotland would mean for individuals, businesses and other
organisations.
The paper brings together the UK
government’s key findings on currency, businesses and jobs, the
affordability of public services, personal finances, and Scotland’s place
in the world into just over 50 pages.
Read ‘United
Kingdom, united future: Conclusions of the Scotland analysis
programme’.
The findings will be shared
directly with people in Scotland through the UK government’s public
information campaign, with a booklet going to every home in Scotland from next
week.
From the outset of the Scottish
referendum debate the UK government has set out to inform voters in Scotland.
Voting to stay as part of the UK or for a separate Scotland is the most
important decision any Scottish voter will ever make.
Why Scotland is
better off as part of the UK.
The Scotland analysis programme
has been designed to provide the facts every Scot needs to know before the
referendum.
It has
included:
- 1,400 pages of analysis compared
to one page of costings in the Scottish government’s White
Paper
- fiscal projections over 20 years
based on independent forecasts, rather than the Scottish government’s
optimistic internal forecasts for just one year
- costed policies, rather than the
Scottish government’s unfunded commitments
- rigorous analysis of the
currency options for a separate Scotland, showing that none of the alternatives
would work as well as using the pound as part of the UK
Today’s paper
concludes:
As part of the UK Scotland has
the best of both worlds:
With a strong Scottish
Parliament, Scotland can make its own decisions in devolved areas, while
sharing risks and resources with the other parts of the UK. More than 200 UK
public institutions serve people in Scotland, underpinned by shared principles
and values. If Scotland votes for independence this will come to an end.
Scotland will leave the UK and become a new, separate state.
As part of the UK Scotland has
all the advantages of the pound:
Scotland is currently an
important member of one of the oldest and most stable currencies in the world,
supported by the UK’s strong political union. It would not be possible to
recreate today’s arrangements if that political union did not exist. That
is why all three of the largest political parties in the UK have ruled out
sharing the pound or the Bank of England in a formal currency
union.
As part of the UK Scotland has
lower taxes and higher public spending:
A great weight of evidence says
that Scotland’s finances are stronger as part of the UK. Independent
experts agree that the UK offers people in Scotland lower taxes and higher
public spending than would be possible in an independent Scotland. HM Treasury
estimates that this is worth £1,400 per year for each person in Scotland,
this is called the UK Dividend. The government of an independent Scotland would
exercise additional responsibilities, but it would also have to choose whether
to raise taxes, or cut public services, or both.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander, said:
People need to be informed about
the consequences of the Scottish referendum. That’s why we have
undertaken the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of Scotland’s
place in the UK ever attempted. You might call it ‘Project Fact’ -
over 1,400 pages of analysis citing hundreds of independent experts and
organisations.
The conclusion is clear: almost
every aspect of life in Scotland is enhanced and improved because we are part
of the UK.
That’s why we will share
these conclusions with people in Scotland through the UK government’s
public information campaign, with a booklet going to every home in Scotland
over the next few months.