Scottish Budget - Key points

· Invest a further £11.5 million to create 25,000 modern apprenticeship places - a record high for Scotland and 60% more than under Labour’s last year (07/08).

· Continued funding for council tax freeze – by the end of next year the average Band D family will have saved £322 since the SNP introduced the freeze.

· Funding to continue and uplift the SNP’s flagship Small Business Bonus Scheme, removing 64,000 small businesses from business rates and saving them up to £4,100.
· Funding to abolish prescription charges.

· Provide 7,000 flexible training opportunities for SMEs - 2,000 more than originally planned in the draft Budget

· Invest £8 million to provide enough funding for an extra 1,200 college places

· Invest an additional £15 million across 2010-11 and 2011-12 in funding for college bursaries;

· Maintain educational grants for pupils and college students most in need which were cut south of the border;

· Guarantee a probation place for every newly-qualified teacher and provide enough teaching jobs for every post-probationer in 2011-12;

· New Early Years and Early Intervention Fund, with start-up funding of £5 million;

· £10 million support for SME employment creation – focused on new starts, sole traders and small firms to take on new employees by assisting with employment and recruitment costs and assist with exports;

· £2m Freight Facilities Grant;

· £1m Post office Diversification Scheme;

· £12.5 million for Urban Regeneration Companies – increase of £6 million on the Draft budget;

· £16 million further investment in Housing;

· Funding to maintain 1,000 additional police officers;

· The creation of a £70m ‘change fund’ to help local authorities and health boards deal with the rising costs of providing social care. This is a precursor to plans to further integrate the two.

· Continuing our £2.5 billion infrastructure investment programme;

· Infrastructure Commitments such as the new Forth crossing, New South Glasgow Hospitals project and school building programme

· £70 million Renewables Infrastructure Fund – over four years;

· £48 million support for energy assistance package and Home Insulation Scheme.

· Funding to implement a living wage of £7.15 an hour for staff whose pay is controlled by the Scottish Government, and a minimum increase of £250 for staff earning under £21000.