Dundee LibDems slam failure of "Scottish Futures Trust" (Dundee Liberal Democrats)

Dundee Liberal Democrats <info@dundeelibdems.org.uk>

Dundee LibDems slam failure of "Scottish Futures Trust"

April 7, 2009 9:11 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Jeremy Purvis MSP

Dundee Liberal Democrats today (Tuesday 7th April) slammed the failures of the SNP's "Scottish Futures Trust" as 'simply not up to the job of delivering capital projects across Scotland.'

Additionally, Liberal Democrat Finance spokesperson Jeremy Purvis MSP has accused the SNP Government's Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) of causing paralysis in the Scottish construction industry. Figures from the National Office of Statistics show that Scotland's new orders on jobs worth over £2 million dropped from £1,920 million in 2007 to £856 million in 2008. This is the lowest level since 2003.

Jeremy Purvis said, "The fiasco of the Scottish Futures Trust has effectively paralysed construction works in Scotland. Since the SNP's insistence to continue with the SFT, investment in new building projects worth over £2 million in Scotland has fallen by more than a billion pounds. This is utterly unacceptable.

"Liberal Democrats have long argued that the Scottish Futures Trust is utterly ineffective. These figures underline that this expensive Government quango is a complete waste of taxpayers' money at this time of recession.

"Ministers must abandon this useless quango and get on with the real work of building the schools and hospitals Scotland needs."

Here in Dundee, Liberal Democrat City Council Group Leader, Cllr Fraser Macpherson, added, "We now learn that the Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust is to be paid a salary of £180 000 a year. The Trust has simply failed to maintain momentum in capital projects and is costing a fortune to run. It is yet another SNP failure."