THE TREASURY is to give the Scottish Government £220m to help tackle the covid pandemic.
However the First Minister said the situation is "worse" than she previously thought, claiming Scotland will receive £48m less than it had planned as result of the measures.
The SNP has described the funding pledge as "smoke and mirrors" after the Treasury claimed it was "extra" cash.
It later emerged the funds were being provided earlier than they normally would be, but were still part of the planned Barnett Consequential figure due to go to Holyrood early next year.
Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon criticised the UK Government in her key address to Parliament, claiming that due to a lack of funding she was unable to implement all the measures she would like for public health protection.
It is thought this would have included more restrictions on businesses as Omicron cases continue to rise across the country.
As the Treasury announced the early cash just minutes before Ms Sturgeon's speech, the First Minister was not aware of the measures until being questioned about them by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.
READ MORE: Treasury attempts to scupper Sturgeon with funding pledge minutes before key speech
In response to the £220m confirmation this evening, Ms Sturgeon said "As feared, this is not ‘additional’ money - it is being brought forward from money we were expecting in January and had already budgeted for.
"But it’s actually more concerning than than that.
"The net effect of yesterday’s Treasury announcement appears to be that [The Scottish Government] is £48m worse off than we thought we were before the announcement.
"The total we were expecting in January was £268m…we have just been told the actual amount is £220m.
"There is though a more fundamental point. Each of the 4 UK governments is responsible for protecting public health in their own country.
"But only when UKG takes decisions for England is funding triggered, leaving the rest of us trying to protect health with one hand tied."
The Treasury insisted the cash was "on top" of what was announced at the Budget in October, with a Whitehall source dismissing Ms Sturgeon's claims as "utter nonsense", adding that it had released the funds early after requests from devolved governments.
A UK Government source said: "This is utter nonsense. The Scottish Government is getting an extra £220 million to tackle Covid. The Scottish Government will get all the money it is due and the matter is being constantly evaluated.
“We have had intensive talks with the Scottish Government about the money and we are determined to work constructively with them to tackle the pandemic.
"Now is not the time for political games. Rather than manufacturing rows, the focus of us all should be on fighting Omicron."
The Treasury added that devolved governments had been given a "record-breaking" amount in their block grants this year as well as more than £12.6bn through Barnett funding to tackle Covid, adding the release of the funds now would provide "certainty".
The Welsh Government is to receive £135m, while the Northern Ireland executive will get £75m.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "Throughout this pandemic, the United Kingdom has stood together as one family, and we will continue to do so.
“We are working with the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to drive the vaccine rollout to all corners of the United Kingdom and ensure people and businesses all across the country are supported.”
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