The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
These ‘Big Nasties’ all need cash
Major investment is required to deal with problems caused by a “lack of forward thinking” from government, the head of the Commons spending watchdog has warned.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier issued a report giving major recommendations on longterm thinking and investment, resilience, and risk management and understanding.
The report outlines major spending problems, dubbed “the Big Nasties”, government will have to grapple with, including poor infrastructure in hospitals, schools and prisons.
Labour MP Dame Meg warned funds for long-term projects being used for day-to-day spending has created systemic problems requiring significant investment.
The report states: “Government does not do enough to plan for the long term, or to provide long-term investment for its policies.
“This not only causes problems now but leaves problems that will be critical in the future.
“Lack of forward thinking means leaving problems that are more costly and more urgent until they get to a point where they can no longer be ignored.
“The five-year electoral cycle leads to a belief or hope that a catastrophic incident will not take place on our watch.”
On health, Dame Meg found NHS targets for waiting times have not been met for four years, and targets for cancer services not met for six years, which, combined with an ageing population, means more will need to be invested in treatment and prevention.
Hospital buildings are flagged as a major issue preventing the NHS from modernising and hampering productivity.
The Department of Health and Social care is accused of “raiding” capital budget funds.
Similarly, in education Dame Meg warned a lack of long-term investment has resulted in over 700,000 students in a school that needs major rebuilding or refurbishment, and 38% of school buildings are beyond their initial design life.
The report states the Ministry of Defence has “repeatedly made decisions on short-term affordability grounds which increased costs in the long term.”
Dame Meg also raised areas requiring spending across departments, including a lack of specialist skills and replacing outdated IT systems.