Capital Projects

As an amendment to motion S4M-05653 in the name of Gavin Brown (Capital Projects), leave out from “notes” to end and insert "notes that the UK Government has cut the Scottish Government’s capital budget by 26% in real terms over the UK spending review period and that the previous UK administration was planning an even tougher cash-terms cut of 43% in UK public sector net investment; welcomes the progress made since publication of the Infrastructure Investment Plan in December 2011, with nine major projects now operational and publication of an updated, transparent, pipeline of future Scottish Government investments to assist the construction industry with its forward planning; recognises that, despite the reduction in capital departmental expenditure limits (DEL) from the UK Government, the Scottish Government is on track to invest £3.1 billion this year, using innovative means to supplement capital budgets, including through the Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) programme and switching resource to capital; believes that time invested now in preparing NPD and hub projects for the market leads to improved value for money, and welcomes the progress on Inverness, Glasgow and Kilmarnock colleges and the M8, M73, and M74 motorway improvements, all of which start construction in 2013-14, along with a range of smaller community health and schools projects."