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You said in answer to the convener that you received more clarity on 29 July from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who, after winning the election, said that the UK Labour Government was going to meet the public sector pay deals. Your assumption from that was that you would receive £1.4 billion of funding—I think that that was the answer that you gave to the convener.

You are continuing to do that. How many of those cuts are recurring or one-off savings?

Can you provide that in writing as well?

Minister, this is about the planning of the public finances.

However, the policy was not published at the time—it was published subsequently and very late. We found out only in the past few weeks that that was the basis on which the budget was set, because the Government refused to confirm that previously. On what basis was the figure of 3 per cent arrived at? I know that it was the policy, but on what basis was the policy arrived at?

That cannot have been the first point of worry. The Scottish Fiscal Commission said that it would be 4.5 per cent, because it had not seen—

If I can continue, minister. You had not provided the public pay policy to the commission. Doing so is in the written agreement between the Government and the SFC, but the Government had, again, refused to provide it. The SFC had to come up with its own figure, and that must have caused some concern in Government circles, when you saw that margin.

—long-term public spending plans and commitment, we have known for years now that the public finances in Scotland are not sustainable, but you are ending up having to lean on a one-off pot of money—again and again—to try to get yourself through a budget year.

Should not the public be concerned about that in respect of your handling of the public finances?

To be fair, minister, you have done.