Scottish public finances

Key questions for the Scottish public sector:

How are decisions made between competing priorities within the National Performance Framework when resources are limited? What will success look like in relation to service delivery on the ground?
Is there sufficiently good information on the cost, quality and quantity of services to support evidence-based priority setting?
What needs to be done to improve understanding of the links between spending, activities, performance and outcomes?
What contribution beyond the existing two per cent efficiency savings can be reasonably expected? What more could be done to improve understanding of productivity in public services as a basis for further action?
Are there areas where spending is needed now to deliver significant recurrent savings in the longer term?
Is the balance right between short-term measures and long- term changes?
Is enough being done across sector and service boundaries to deliver efficient services that place the needs of users first?
Are there barriers to delivering joined-up and efficient services (for example, organisational structures) that should be addressed, or can partnerships and shared service arrangements be relied on?