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Finance Department - budget plans | The finance department, which is headed by Finance Secretary John Swinney, is responsible for the economy, the Scottish budget, local government and public service delivery.
BUDGET STATEMENT 2007/08 Transport makes up the biggest element of this portfolio, which also includes funds for Scotland's enterprise network and plans to make the public sector work more efficiently, and a requirement for each portfolio to deliver 2% efficiency savings per year. There are also plans to encourage innovation, but the manifesto-proposed level of the so-called "Saltire prize" has reduced. Here are the main announcements: Rail infrastructure - �0.7bn per year. Motorway and trunk road network - �932.6m, �1,063.7m and �1,181.4m over the three years of the spending plan. Replacement Forth crossing - �20m, �25m and �30m. Ferry services - �92.4m, �105.1m and �111m. Free bus travel for more than one million people - �181.4m, �187.4m and �189.4m. Improve water quality and infrastructure - �182m a year. Refocusing the enterprise network to take on tourism - �448.6m, �433.8m and �431.4m. Investment through Regional Selective Assistance and other direct government innovation support - �60m per year. Increase spending on energy and climate change to �33m a year by 2010/11. Saltire Prize to recognise innovation - �2m annual fund and a �10m "horizon prize", initially focussing on renewable energy.
MAIN SNP MANIFESTO PLEDGES Scrap the Council Tax and introduce a Local Income Tax set at 3p. Businesses with a rateable value of �8,000 or less to pay no business rates. Businesses with a rateable value of between �8,001 and �10,000 will be entitled to a 50% business rate relief. Businesses with a rateable value of between �10,001 and �15,000 will be entitled to a relief of 25%.Review of agency structure, with a clear aim of reducing bureaucracy, and overlap. (Announced by Alex Salmond during his conference speech)Refocus the enterprise network.Publication of a White Paper, encompassing a Bill, detailing the concept of Scottish Independence. (Bill published).Proposed �1m kick-start fund to develop world-wide projects similar to Scotland House opened in Estonia.Not-for-profit Scottish Futures Trust as a PPP/PFI alternative in the first term of an SNP government.An additional �10m to support cutting edge research in Scotland. �5m Saltire prize to promote future innovation and harness Scotland's creative energy.
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