OREANDA-NEWS. The publication of Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) 2015-16 was announced today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.

Total Public Sector Revenue 2015-16

  • Including an illustrative geographic share of North Sea, Scottish public sector revenue was estimated as ?53.7 billion (7.9 per cent of UK revenue). Of this, ?60 million was North Sea revenue.
  • Scotland’s illustrative share of North Sea revenue fell from ?1.8 billion in 2014-15 to ?60 million, reflecting a decline in total UK North Sea revenue.
  • Scotland’s public sector revenue is equivalent to ?10,000 per person, ?400 less than the UK average, regardless of the inclusion of North Sea revenue.

Total Public Sector Expenditure 2015-16

  • Total expenditure for the benefit of Scotland by the Scottish Government, UK Government, and all other parts of the public sector was ?68.6 billion. This is equivalent to 9.1 per cent of total UK public sector expenditure, and ?12,800 per person, which is ?1,200 per person greater than the UK average.

Current Budget Balance 2015-16

This is the difference between total revenue and current expenditure (i.e. excluding capital investment). The current budget balance:

  • Excluding North Sea revenue, was a deficit of ?12.7 billion (8.6 per cent of GDP).
  • Including an illustrative geographic share of North Sea revenue, was a deficit of ?12.6 billion (8.1 per cent of GDP).
  • For the UK, was a deficit of ?41.5 billion (2.2 per cent of GDP)

Net Fiscal Balance 2015-16

This is the difference between total revenue and total public sector expenditure including capital investment. The net fiscal balance:

  • Excluding North Sea revenue, was a deficit of ?14.9 billion (10.1 per cent of GDP).
  • Including an illustrative geographic share of North Sea revenue, was a deficit of ?14.8 billion (9.5 per cent of GDP).
  • For the UK, was a deficit of ?75.3 billion (4.0 per cent of GDP).

The figures released today were produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.