Scottish Labour leader calls for action over 拢2bn fall in public investment since SNP came to power
Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray has called on the Scottish government to take urgent action to address 鈥渢he crisis in the construction industry鈥�.
The politician referred to a survey indicating the value of public investment had fallen almost 拢2bn since the SNP came to power as evidence for the claims.
According to new analysis of figures published by the Scottish government鈥檚 Infrastructure Investment Unit, the value of public investment projects in the pipeline fell from 拢1.3bn in 2007 to 拢303m in 2008 and is expected to be 拢508m in 2009.
Gray said: "The slump in the construction industry is deeper than it would otherwise have been, and more jobs have been lost, because the SNP have turned off the tap of public sector investment.
"At a time when the Scottish government should be doing all it can to protect jobs we are seeing a massive fall in public investment projects.鈥�
However, finance secretary John Swinney described Gray鈥檚 comments as 鈥渕isleading nonsense鈥� as the figures only included PFI/PPP contracts and failed to take account of conventional projects such as the 拢445m M74 completion and the 拢120m Low Mos Prison.
He said construction jobs in Scotland rose 1.4% in the year to March 2009.
Figures from the Scottish 好色先生TV Federation, out last week, suggested more than 900 construction trainees and apprentices have been made redundant in the past year.
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