§ Mr. DarlingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much expenditure has been incurred in payments to consultants engaged in connection with PFI projects within the health service in Scotland. [23909]
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§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 1 April 1996]: Consultants are engaged to assist in PH projects following a competitive tender run by the trust or health board. The resulting agreements are of a commercial nature and the value of each is not notified to the Scottish Office. It is estimated that 2 per cent. of the capital value of a scheme is incurred in fees on a PFI project. This compares favourably with the cost of a publicly-funded procurement, and is often less, chiefly due to the fact that detailed design work is done at the cost of the private rather than public sector.