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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Bridge cash row set to continue | Bridge cash row set to continue |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Scottish ministers will continue to pursue the Treasury for a cash advance to pay for the new Forth road bridge, despite the request being rejected. | Scottish ministers will continue to pursue the Treasury for a cash advance to pay for the new Forth road bridge, despite the request being rejected. |
| The chancellor's department knocked back an SNP call to spread the cost of the £2bn crossing over 20 years. | The chancellor's department knocked back an SNP call to spread the cost of the £2bn crossing over 20 years. |
| Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney told BBC Scotland his option was the sensible way forward. | Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney told BBC Scotland his option was the sensible way forward. |
| He said Scotland had the cash to pay for the bridge, but could only do so at a cost to other public projects. | He said Scotland had the cash to pay for the bridge, but could only do so at a cost to other public projects. |
| The chief secretary to the treasury, Yvette Cooper, said the Scottish Government's request was not a credible option and suggested alternatives, such as building up a big underspend or using a PPP tie-up with the private sector - a policy which the SNP has heavily criticised. | The chief secretary to the treasury, Yvette Cooper, said the Scottish Government's request was not a credible option and suggested alternatives, such as building up a big underspend or using a PPP tie-up with the private sector - a policy which the SNP has heavily criticised. |
| The Scottish Futures Trust is there to essentially bring about collaboration between different projects of a smaller scale John SwinneyScottish finance secretary class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/douglasfraser/2009/01/bridging_loan.html">Read Douglas Fraser's blog | |
| Mr Swinney told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that his approach was a responsible way to guarantee construction of the new crossing, which would be Scotland's biggest building project in a generation. | Mr Swinney told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that his approach was a responsible way to guarantee construction of the new crossing, which would be Scotland's biggest building project in a generation. |
| And he said the Scottish Government's flagship Scottish Futures Trust scheme, seen as an alternative to PPP/PFI, was designed to cater for "smaller" projects. | And he said the Scottish Government's flagship Scottish Futures Trust scheme, seen as an alternative to PPP/PFI, was designed to cater for "smaller" projects. |
| The finance secretary said he would further pursue the SNP's proposal with the Treasury, highlighting the UK Government's decision to speed up some capital spending in its recent pre-Budget report. | The finance secretary said he would further pursue the SNP's proposal with the Treasury, highlighting the UK Government's decision to speed up some capital spending in its recent pre-Budget report. |
| Mr Swinney said: "We have the money to pay for this crossing through our traditional capital budgets. We have £3.5bn of a capital expenditure programme every year and the Forth replacement crossing will cost us about £1.7bn over a five to six-year period." | Mr Swinney said: "We have the money to pay for this crossing through our traditional capital budgets. We have £3.5bn of a capital expenditure programme every year and the Forth replacement crossing will cost us about £1.7bn over a five to six-year period." |
| Funding 'unclear' | Funding 'unclear' |
| But he added: "The cost of doing that is that there would be, unfortunately, delays to other projects. | But he added: "The cost of doing that is that there would be, unfortunately, delays to other projects. |
| "That's why we're trying to get the Treasury to give us the type of flexibility that any other normal administration would have by being able to borrow to pay for a once-in-a-generation project like the Forth replacement crossing and spread those payments over a period of years." | "That's why we're trying to get the Treasury to give us the type of flexibility that any other normal administration would have by being able to borrow to pay for a once-in-a-generation project like the Forth replacement crossing and spread those payments over a period of years." |
| Mr Swinney went on to say the Scottish Futures Trust worked in relation to projects such as healthcare developments and school buildings, rather than a single, "generational" build, such as the new Forth crossing. | Mr Swinney went on to say the Scottish Futures Trust worked in relation to projects such as healthcare developments and school buildings, rather than a single, "generational" build, such as the new Forth crossing. |
| "The Scottish Futures Trust is there to essentially bring about collaboration between different projects of a smaller scale to deliver value for money," he said. | "The Scottish Futures Trust is there to essentially bring about collaboration between different projects of a smaller scale to deliver value for money," he said. |
| Labour MSP David Whitton said it was unclear how the new bridge would be funded. | Labour MSP David Whitton said it was unclear how the new bridge would be funded. |
| He said of Scottish ministers: "They've got to look at the budgets they currently have and try and find them or they could, as the Treasury has suggested, look at PPP/PFI, but, of course, they are ideologically opposed to doing that." | He said of Scottish ministers: "They've got to look at the budgets they currently have and try and find them or they could, as the Treasury has suggested, look at PPP/PFI, but, of course, they are ideologically opposed to doing that." |