The consequences of Brexit vote
Dear Editor
I have long considered that the only select committee in Westminster equivalent to those in the US Congress is the Public Accounts Committee.
This is because it has the resources of the National Audit Office working for it and is therefore properly serviced unlike other committees who have only a few civil servants providing little more than secretarial support. Only now do we learn that the ‘Brexit’ chickens really are coming home to roost.
The comptroller and auditor general of the National Audit Office, Sir Amyas Morse, recently indicated that the UK government will have to treat leaving the EU as an “emergency”. Morse, the government’s chief auditor has a statutory responsibility to scrutinise all public spending. He rarely speaks out and that he does so now is obviously a reflection of his concern that there is little time to waste.
He warns that UK government resources, including civil servants, IT professionals and legal advisers, are now being directed towards managing ‘Brexit’ and therefore away from delivering major infrastructure projects.
Even before Brexit the NAO had indicated that the UK government needed to find about 2,800 new staff with IT skills to undertake projects already planned over the next five years. This gap, it was estimated by the NAO, would cost £213m to fill with full-time civil servants or £418m if the work was handed to contractors.
Perhaps our two local Brexiteer MSPs can give us some indication as to what is to happen regarding the options for recruitment and of which major infrastructure projects like Hinckley Point C nuclear plant, Heathrow third runway, High Speed 2 rail line, Crossrail 2 London commuter line, or refurbishment of Parliament they propose to cancel and what the implication will be for Scotland.
At the same time Morse has also warned that preparation for a possible ‘Scotxit’ after Scotland’s vote to Remain will be even trickier.
Maybe our brave local Brexiteers, just as before, propose that the UK government should not prepare for ‘Scotxit’ the same time. This is important.
Will they please let us know?
Harry Valentine Hairmyres