This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Infrastructure Investment in Scotland conference
17/05/2005
Executive Ministers, international speakers and
representatives from the public and private sectors met
today to discuss the implications of the Infrastructure
Investment Plan published in February.
Speaking at the Infrastructure Investment in Scotland
conference in Edinburgh, Finance and Public Service Reform
Minister Tom McCabe said:
"This is an exciting time for the young democratic
constitution of Scotland, now within a newly confirmed UK
political framework. It is open for dialogue about the
delivery of Scotland's future, and Ministers are keen to
hear what people have to say. We have opened new links
beyond our borders, and we welcome all interested parties
who wish to join that discussion. We want to hear what is
required for efficient delivery, what scale and type of
investments are achievable and in what timescales.
"Scottish Ministers are committed to growing Scotland's
economy, delivering excellent and efficient public
services, and building safe and welcoming communities. Only
long term funding will do this and secure the improved
quality of life we are aiming to achieve. It is not just
about increased levels of investment but looking at
innovative and effective ways of delivering that
infrastructure."
The Minister set out the main aims of the Infrastructure
Investment Plan which include:
- Building a better Scotland
delivering improvements that are sustainable and that
will meet the needs of the current and future
generations of Scots;
- Delivering services that are fit
for the 21st century, meeting customer needs and
expectations while taking into account Best Value for
money;
- Developing transport and
communications infrastructure, crucial to economic
delivery; and
- Increased spending on education
facilities, building affordable housing and creating
safe communities for families.
Mr McCabe emphasised that this was an ambitious plan and
that everyone needed to work smarter to ensure that it was
delivered. He said:
"We need to raise our game by improving delivery skills
as well as learning to deal with high value investment
options, including private sector funding. There are wider
challenges about us adopting a much broader agenda to
deliver services. It is about fresh thinking and
challenging some of the long-standing assumptions about
what constitutes efficient and effective service
organisation and delivery."
The Minister challenged people in Scotland to leave
pre-conceived ideas behind and start looking beyond our own
horizons for new solutions to project delivery. He
said:
"Some in Scotland have been slow to give up on the
pointless debate about whether private sector or public
sector delivery is best. Other countries have been quicker
to grasp that their economies and public services are best
served by recognising and using the best of both. We need
to celebrate successes in both sectors, and both sectors
need to learn from mistakes. The political leadership is in
place in Scotland in support of this approach. What we need
now is the utmost professionalism going forward with public
and private sector organisations firmly in delivery
mode."
Mr McCabe emphasised that he wanted an inclusive
approach to delivery of the Plan. He said:
"We are clear that public sector infrastructure
investment can act as a real lever for change - for the
social and economic renewal of Scotland's deprived
communities. We think the Plan is ambitious and an
important building block in Scottish government
arrangements, providing in a transparent way, information
about forward plans across the range of Ministerial
portfolios. We are reinforcing the message to the
construction, engineering, financial and advisory sector
that Scotland's government is committed to working in
partnership within a long term strategy for growth and
development. We are showing that we are working smarter to
ensure best value for that investment."
Since 1999, the Executive has substantially increased
investment in infrastructure in Scotland, including:
- The largest hospital building
programme in the history of the NHS in Scotland,
including £0.5 billion in three major hospitals in the
Central Belt of Scotland;
- Unparalleled investment of £2.5
billion in education infrastructure, including new and
modernised schools;
- Housing stock transfers from
local authorities to housing associations;
- Redevelopment of Scotland's
transport infrastructure, including investment in road,
rail and air links; and
- Investment in water and
waste.
The Plan sets out the Executive's future investment
plans by portfolio area and includes:
- £3 billion investment, over 10
years, in transport infrastructure;
- £3 billion to meet the target of
renewing and modernising 300 schools by 2009;
- a Strategic Waste Fund of more
than £500 million for local authorities to improve
recycling and waste treatment;
- a substantial investment to
improve and modernise Scotland's colleges and
universities with over £420 million being spent over
the next three years;
- substantial investment in the
health estate to ensure patients have access to the
best facilities; and
- regeneration of Scotland's
communities including improvements to affordable
housing, eradicating fuel poverty and building to
sustainable standards.
In total there are around £5.6 billion worth of current
and planned investments through PPP projects. The programme
includes schools, hospitals, health facilities, waste
treatment plants, prisons and roads.
The Infrastructure Investment Plan can be accessed using
the following link:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/finance/iipifs-00.asp