The Fraser of Allander Institute Podcast

Timestamps: (0:05) Introductions (1:20) Reflections from the event in Bangor (2:49) Reflections from the event in Edinburgh (5:31) Mutual investment model and proposals in Wales (8:09) Fiscal framework (13:27) Appetite for further devolution of income tax in Wales (17:19) Council tax revaluation

Timestamps: (0:05) Introductions (1:55) Tuition fees and the higher education funding landscape in Scotland (11:59) The future sustainability of Scotland's universities (14:29) Further education funding in Scotland

Timestamps (0:05) Introductions (0:42) Health spending over the last Scottish Parliament term (7:59) The increase in procurement spending (11:12) Parties' proposals for health (19:31) The National Care Service bill (25:42) Parties' proposals for adult social care

(00:00) Welcome and episode overview (01:02) Meet Ed Roddis and Lesley Smillie (03:44) What is the State of the State report? (10:11) The big takeaway for Scotland in an election year (11:32) Public priorities: cost of living, healthcare and immigration (18:44) How Scotland compares with the rest of the UK (21:06) Public satisfaction with services and pressure on the NHS (29:14) The mood among public sector leaders (36:19) Is there a real opportunity for public service reform? (38:04) AI, digital transformation and the future of public services

Timestamps (0:06) Introductions (1:27) The SNP price cap plan for 'essential' foods (5:28) The campaign in Wales this week and the Welsh Lib Dems manifesto (7:07) Tax policy and unwillingness to confront fiscal trade-offs (11:20) The remaining Scottish manifestos from the week (15:13) What's been left unsaid

Timestamps: (0:05) Introductions (1:25) Scotland's child poverty targets (5:15) Devolved and reserved social security systems (8:32) Child poverty delivery plan (13:00) Scottish Child Payment

Timestamps: (0:05) Introduction and the overall funding challenge (3:30) The wider role of universities in local economies (6:33) International students (9:49) Difference in funding between Wales and the rest of the UK (19:44) Proposals from the different parties so far

Timestamps (0:06) Introductions (1:00) Welsh developments: Plaid Cymru and Welsh Green Party manifestos (2:26) Childcare proposals in Wales (8:49) Scottish developments: Scottish Conservatives manifesto (17:16) Efficiency proposals in Scotland

Timestamps (00:05) Introduction and the current state of childcare policy in Wales (4:14) Why the government intervenes in this area (7:53) Differences between Welsh provision with the rest of the UK (14:41) Trade-offs between universal and more targeted approaches (19:04) The effect of policy objectives on childcare policy design

Participants Prof Stephen Sinclair, GCU & SPIRU Hannah Randolph, FAI Spencer Thompson, FAI Time stamps (1:10) Latest child poverty statistics (4:45) Changes to the Family Resources Survey (12:00) Final child poverty delivery plan (16:10) Child poverty targets (23:20) More on data revisions (25:30) Scale of actions in the delivery plan and distance to the 2030 targets (30:15) A time for optimism

Timestamps: (0:06) Evolution of funding during the last Parliamentary term (7:13) Income tax policy and divergence from the rest of the UK (13:39) Public sector pay and pressure on the Scottish Budget

Timestamps: (0:05) Introductions (1:00) The Welsh Government's funding landscape in the last few years and the Barnett formula. (5:31) Claims about the "largest ever settlement" and how meaningful those are (12:09) Differences in funding between Wales and England

Timestamps (00:07) Introductions (00:40) The project and why we are doing it (03:35) Highlights from the Welsh setting the scene report (05:55) Similarities and differences relative to Scotland (10:44) Issues in the campaign in Scotland: taxes, health service (12:05) Comparison with issues in Wales (14:33) Public sector pay and efficiency (16:58) Capital spending outlook

Participants Hannah Randolph - Fellow, FAI Allison Catalano - Fellow, FAI & SHERU Spencer Thompson - Senior Fellow, FAI & SHERU Time stamps (0:25) What is No One Left Behind and how is it structured? (4:10) Localised services and decision-making (9:10) Outcomes and prevention under No One Left Behind (18:45) Prioritisation (22:15) Data and evaluation

This episode is the latest in a series partnering Deloitte with the Fraser of Allander Institute. In this series expect lively debate, expert insights, and thought-provoking discussions that will reshape the conversation around Scottish economic growth. This Scottish-focused initiative builds upon Deloitte’s UK-wide Growth 35 programme, painting a bold vision for a thriving UK economy by 2035. (00:00) Welcome and episode overview (00:57) Meet Paul Lawrence and Phil Cragg (06:20) Why Edinburgh matters to Scotland’s economy (11:42) Edinburgh’s regional economy and city region approach (14:09) The constraints on growth: housing, affordability and space (17:46) Why Edinburgh stands out as an AI city (20:47) AI opportunity and labour market risk (28:07) Can AI improve public services? (38:39) Universities, talent and Edinburgh’s innovation ecosystem

This episode is the latest in a series partnering Deloitte with the Fraser of Allander Institute. In this series expect lively debate, expert insights, and thought-provoking discussions that will reshape the conversation around Scottish economic growth. This collaboration will unveil ground-breaking insights and provide a platform for action. This Scottish-focused initiative builds upon Deloitte’s UK-wide Growth 35 programme, painting a bold vision for a thriving UK economy by 2035. (00:00) Cyber + AI: why this matters now (Cyber Scotland Week) (01:12) Meet the guests: Deloitte + ScotlandIS / Cyber Scotland Partnership (01:51) What “cyber resilience” really means (it’s not just IT) (04:07) Scotland’s cyber ecosystem: what ScotlandIS + the Partnership do (07:03) Cyber careers: the roles people don’t realise exist (09:11) Scotland’s cyber skills gap (and why it’s still here) (14:06) AI in cyber: big benefits, new risks, and trust issues (19:02) AI adoption 101: start with the problem (not the hype) (30:41) Building the talent pipeline: schools, placements & real pathways in (41:05) The future: new roles, diversity, and what needs to change next

(00:00) - Welcome + what we’re covering (survey + energy transition investment) (04:20) - SNIB explained: mission-led impact investing + how they operate (09:47) - Survey headlines: opportunity vs uncertainty (2030/2050 confidence gap) (12:27) - Risk, returns, and what’s investable (mature tech, “comparable returns”) (17:44) - What’s blocking progress: grid, planning/consenting, enabling infrastructure (28:30) - Scotland context + role of public capital (reserved powers, NWF/GB Energy, crowding-in) (40:31) - Momentum signals + what needs to happen next (47:42) - Closing + wrap-up and links

Timestamps (0:30) Overview of the Scottish budget (5:02) Fiscal sustainability (10:28) Clarity of planned transfers between portfolios (14:00) Future spending plans

(00:00) - Introduction (03:22) - Rationale for the Policy (04:40) - Glasgow City Council's Evidence (06:45) - Emissions & Air Quality (10:23) - Piecemeal Approach to Implementation (11:37) - Concerns of Businesses & Residents (16:19) - Using Revenue Raised

Timestamps: 0:30 Budget expectations, OBR leak, and response 4:29 Lifting of the two-child limit on the child element of Universal Credit 10:23 Clearing confusion around child benefit, two-child limit, and the benefit cap 14:01 Freezing tax thresholds 19:25 Smorgasbord of smaller taxes 28:26 Spencer reflects on his first Budget with the FAI