23 November 2001
Matthew Taylor, the Liberal Democrat's Treasury spokesman, said the research, being carried out by consultants Mott MacDonald, would end up backing PPPs because of its narrow frame of reference.
Taylor said the study, commissioned last month, would not examine the issue of time delays before contracts are signed nor the issue of management or consultant fees. 'The key thing is what's not there rather than what's there,' Taylor said.
Mott MacDonald's research will look at 60 major projects, and will focus on the costs and benefits achieved in each of them.
The company manages Britain's first Private Finance Initiative road maintenance programme, a £250m scheme in Portsmouth, as well as being a 'technical adviser' to a hospital project in Edinburgh.
PFnov2001
