Following the publication of figures showing the full cost of PFI contracts to the English NHS, Plaid Finance Spokesperson Chris Franks AM said that it was a stark reminder of how such arrangements can drain funds away from front line health services.
Figures obtained by the BBC indicate that projects built through PFI schemes in England are worth £11.3bn – yet they will cost the NHS a total of £65 billion due to the nature of the contracts signed.
Plaid Cymru Finance Spokesperson Chris Franks AM said:
“PFI is one of the most expensive ways of borrowing money. There are enormous start-up costs in terms of legal and contractual fees. These contracts reduce flexibility to the hospital managers, and are quite simply a bad deal for the taxpayer.
“The huge cost of PFI schemes is laid bare by these figures. The NHS in England will be paying over £50bn over the odds for the new facilities built. That is around 3 times Wales’ whole national budget!
“The way the NHS in England is run is not a matter for us, but I hope that these extraordinary figures will act as a reminder of the dangers of this kind of contract. We in Wales simply cannot afford to saddle ourselves and future generations with such massive debt.
“In government in Wales, Plaid Cymru has ensured that this sort of arrangement is not allowed to divert funds away from frontline health services. These figures show that we cannot afford to allow that trend to be reversed in future.”
