Author: Craig Flannigan
Last saved by: Sehrish Imlach

Transcript 
As the Scottish Government responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, public spending in Scotland increased rapidly. 
In the 2020/21 financial year, spending grew by over 25% to just over £50 billion. 
The government responded to protect lives, public safety, jobs and the economy. In doing so, it has had to accept a high level of risk around fraud and error. 
While there is some high level details about how this money was used, the government needs to be more proactive, open and transparent with the provision of this important detail. 
The government needs to make clearer connections between its budget, funding announcements and actual spending, to support public scrutiny and transparency in this matter of important public interest.