By-Election, Glenrothes: The SNP should take responsibility for its own budget and stop looking to Westminster for cash that does not exist, a UK Government minister said yesterday.

The SNP should take responsibility for its own budget and stop looking to Westminster for cash that does not exist, a UK Government minister said yesterday.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson joined the Glenrothes by-election campaign and criticised the Scottish Government for blaming the Treasury for witholding funds.

As he and Labour's Scottish health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson met the party's candidate Lindsay Roy outside a hospital in the constituency, he criticised Alex Salmond and his ministers.

Last week the First Minister called for £1bn of cash, which the SNP says is held by the Treasury, to be handed over to help the Scottish economy through the anticipated difficulties ahead. The cash includes money from the fossil fuel levy, a Scottish Government underspend.

But Mr Johnson said: "The £1bn doesn't exist. It is an argument they resurrected before their conference. It is an absolute myth. It is an easy tactic to pass off responsibility. The SNP government needs to take control of their own budget."

Both he and Cathy Jamieson attacked the SNP's record on health, claiming that they were presiding over a cut in the health budget while, in England, there was an increase.

The SNP hit back, stating Scotland was leading the UK in health policies.

Mr Johnson said: "What you see here in Scotland is political parties trying to steal our clothes. I think it's great that people laud the NHS and admire the NHS and try to make it their own popular policy.

"A brief glance at the history books at what's happened, over the last 11 years in particular, shows that this is very much Labour's territory.

"And we're entitled to make it our territory. This is the ethos that Labour believes in."

He added: "Labour established the NHS and Labour after 1997 has restored the NHS. I am pleased they recognise the importance of the NHS and pleased they want to praise it. However, they are trying to pretend it is their territory, just like the Tories are."

Labour claimed that spending under the SNP had fallen behind that of England and Wales. Ms Jamieson said: "There have been some things we welcome, like targets for C-diff that is something we have been pressing for.

"But if we look at the funding in future years the rate of growth is not the same as south of the border. I do not think that health is a top priority for the SNP."

Labour said yesterday health spending will increase in England and Wales by 4% each year, in Scotland they said it is only 1.5%.

However, the SNP said that Scottish health policies were desired by patients and professionals in England. Tricia Marwick MSP said: "People in Fife have seen a 3.8% increase in funding for NHS Fife, investment in dental and eye care services and spending to improve facilities.

"Where Scotland's elderly are entitled to free personal care, Labour is refusing to offer the same service to people in England and is withholding attendance allowance funding that should be supporting this policy in Scotland."

She added: "At the same time people in Glenrothes have already felt the benefit of reduced prescription charges with further reductions to come as we move toward their abolition - a policy Gordon Brown refuses to offer in full to people in England.

"Scotland's health service is returning to the true principles of the NHS, with Nicola Sturgeon announcing an end to private contracting for cleaning and catering and protecting primary care services from privatisation - action doctors in England want Mr Johnson to repeat."

Meanwhile the Conservative candidate, Maurice Golden, called for tax cuts for small businesses to help them through the predicted recession. He said: "These are tough times and there is every indication that things will get worse before they get better. Gordon Brown's age of irresponsibility has reached its day of reckoning.

"The Conservatives are today calling on the government to help small companies and boost jobs by cutting payroll taxes by 1p. The cut would be part of a fully funded package that would also reduce the small companies' rate of corporation tax to 20p."

Meanwhile, it was revealed yesterday that the Prime Minister's wife will join the Glenrothes campaign later this week. Sarah Brown will knock on doors and talk to voters in the Fife constituency. She plans to meet pensioners and young mothers during her day of campaigning in the town - almost a month after she took centre stage at the Labour conference to introduce her husband's keynote speech to party faithful.

The Glenrothes seat was made vacant by the death of Labour MP John Mac-Dougall, who had a majority of 10,644.