PARLIAMENT'S JOKER ADMITS HIS OWN PARTY WASTED TAXPAYERS MONEY.

PARLIAMENT'S JOKER ADMITS HIS OWN PARTY WASTED TAXPAYERS MONEY.

LIB/LAB EXECUTIVE BLEW £114M ON CONSULTANTS IN LAST YEAR IN POWER

SNP GOVERNMENT DRASTICALLY CUT PREVIOUS EXEC'S PR BUDGET

Commenting on the Audit Scotland report which revealed that the previous LibDem/Labour Executive spent £114 million on consultants in its last year in power SNP MSP Alex Neil – a member of the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee – hit out at the response of Jeremy Purvis, the LibDems' Finance spokesperson's, who said that taxpayers' money should not be wasted unnecessarily.

Responding to the report Mr Purvis said: "Consultancies should only be used when it has been shown that central government cannot carry out the work themselves."

Commenting on the report and the LibDem response Mr Neil said:

"After the LibDems' humiliation in the budget debate it would appear Mr Purvis just can't stop presenting himself as the Joker in the Parliamentary pack.

"The period he is referring to is when his own party was in power with Labour. This is another blunder from Parliament's Joker. If he believes his own party wasted money unnecessarily perhaps he should be apologising.

"The fact is that the SNP are delivering far more effective, efficient and leaner government than the previous LibDem/Labour Executive – which was profligate with the public purse. Already, the SNP Government has put in place a robust system to bring these costs under control.

"This report backs up previous figures which show the efficiency and effectiveness of the SNP Government in comparison to our Labour and Lib Dem predecessors. For example, official figures show the Labour/LibDem Executive spent 60% more a month on PR than the present SNP Government.

"We now have an SNP Government which has put in place the guidance to ensure consultants are only used when absolutely necessary.

"This report underlines how the SNP Government has done more in its first 20 months in power to provide value for money than the Labour/LibDem coalition did in 8 years. Perhaps Mr Purvis should dwell on that before blundering in to attack his own party's record in power."