A look at the Finance Committee's Report on their
inquiry into preventative spending
In its first Report of 2011, the Finance Committee
of the Scottish Parliament considered the advantages that
preventative public spending might offer. The Committee undertook
to consider how public spending can be best focussed over the
longer term on trying to prevent, rather than simply deal with,
negative social outcomes. Meanwhile, Graham Allen, MP, has also
carried out similar research south of the Border. His studies
concentrated on one particular area of preventative spending, and
have been recently presented in the UK government-commissioned
report, "Early Intervention: The Next Steps".
The idea that "prevention is better than a
cure" is certainly not a new one. However, the unanimous
support expressed within these Reports suggests that if this old
idea can be put into practice in the context of public sector
spending, it might just provide the innovation and change
