20/01/2008
The Barnett Formula, which sets the Treasury grant to Scotland, is thirty years old. Edi Starks asks whether Scotland really has become a land of the free at Britain's expense.
Free university tuition, free personal care for the elderly, free prescriptions - but only as long as you live north of the border. The Barnett Formula, which sets the Treasury grant to Scotland, is thirty years old this year but even its namesake, Lord Barnett, is calling for it to be scrapped.
English MPs complain that Scottish households have on average a thousand pounds more disposable income than those in the north-east of England, yet on average the English get one thousand pounds less public funding per head.
Edi Starks investigates whether Scotland really has become a land of the free at the expense of Britain's other nations and regions. As the Scottish people prepare their Burns Night celebrations, the 5 live Report asks: is Barnett still fair?
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- Sun 20 Jan 2008 19:30大象传媒 Radio 5 Live