Dozens or major public projects delayed or over budget

Jackie Baillie called for a review of public procurement More than 30 major Scottish infrastructure projects including new hospitals and major motorway works are delayed or over budget, new research has revealed.

The analysis was conducted by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE) for Scottish Labour and led to calls for a review of public procurement.

Among the projects identified by the independent SPICE research was the M8, M73, M74 Motorway Improvements Project which cost £13 million more than expected.

The Gorbals Health Centre is running around £4m beyond what was originally forecast and has been delayed by five months.

Other projects include the NHS Orkney New Hospital and Healthcare Facilities, which are almost £10m over budget and have been delayed by five months.

The SPICE analysis also identifed the delay associated with the Queensferry Crossing.

Labour’s economy spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “The fact that so many projects are over budget, delayed, or both is unacceptable. These figures show that people in Scotland are not getting value for money.”

She added: “There needs to be a wholescale review of public procurement in Scotland, including spending on major infrastructure projects.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to delivering critical infrastructure projects and have a strong record in this field, including major road improvements to the M8, M73 and M74, the Queensferry Crossing, which came in £245m under budget and the new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.”