News
of crude approach to reform is “debt mountain” as a result of PFI
NEWS IN BRIEF
right, and so far nobody has man-
PFI is “daylight
and has turned the Government
LORDS CASh-FOR-INFLuENCE ROW
aged to show that to us.”
robbery”, says top
into a “tax collector on behalf of
Two inquiries into claims that four
But he rejected the prospect the private sector.”
Labour peers were ready to accept
of COSLA taking part in a wider
professor
As a result she calls on the
money for amending laws for clients
inquiry to examine the available Scottish Government to ensure have begun in the House of Lords.
evidence and draw up a coherent By katie mackintosh PFI contracts and data are put The allegations are potentially the
vision for the future of the public PFI is “daylight robbery” and the into the public domain to allow
most serious in terms of parliamen-
sector. Government and Treasury have an informed debate to take place
tary conduct since the cash-for-ques-
tions affair in the 1990s.
“We’ve got a mechanism for used “economic sorcery and rules” and enable the public to decide for
Lords Truscott, Moonie, Snape
that now, which is the Concordat,” to disguise the mounting costs to themselves whether it should be
and Lord Taylor of Blackburn are
he said. “The most eminent people the public, a leading public health allowed to continue. Pollock has
accused of entering into negotiations
in this process have already made professor has said. previously written in Holyrood that involving fees of up to £120,000 with
their point in this – national gov- In an interview with Holyrood, a “moratorium” should be called undercover journalists posing as lob-
ernment and local government. Professor Allyson Pollock, direc- on PFI.
byists from a foreign company.
Together, the two sets of politicians tor, Centre for International Pub- She also says the GP out-of-
Whilst all four deny any wrong-
will work out how we want to move lic Health Policy at the University hours contract could be the “Achil-
doing, they face the possibility of a
police investigation after the Liberal
forward.” of Edinburgh said, “…what the les heel” of the health service and
Democrats fi led a complaint with
The debate over reorganisa- Government and the Treasury describes plans down south to allow
Scotland Yard.
tion is set to dominate COSLA’s have done is used a whole lot of top-up fees, guidance on which is
Leader of the House of Lords,
annual conference in St Andrews economic sorcery and rules to try currently being reviewed by the Baroness Royall of Blaisdon has since
next month, which will also exam- and disguise the scale of the losses Scottish Government, as a “total
argued for “more forceful sanctions”
ine progress on shared services to the public. Trojan horse for the privatisation
for any breach of the rules of the
and councils’ relationship with the “If you were being crude, you of funding and delivery.”
House.
Scottish Government. would characterise this as daylight She adds: “Top-up fees blur
gOvERNmENT ACCuSED OF
robbery. PFI is the emperor with the boundaries between what is
hIDINg TORTuRE EvIDENCE
For full story see Local Government no clothes.” public and what is private, both for
The UK Government has been ac-
special report She says Scotland now faces a funding and provision, and >> cused of suppressing evidence of tor-
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www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 9 February 2009 |
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