By politics.co.uk staff

The Scottish nationalists have been left gnashing their teeth as they contemplated a £1.1 billion NHS bill left to them by the Labour government.

Across Scotland private finance initiatives will cost £1.1 billion over the course of the current parliament, nearly the full total of the capital cost of NHS buildings built by PFI at £1.28 billion.

The Scottish National party (SNP) says more money will leave the NHS in repayments than the cost of the projects themselves.

“Over a billion of repayments in the next five years is a devastating hit to the NHS budget – particularly at a time when budgets will be under increasing pressure as a result of Labour’s economic mismanagement,” SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said.

“The NHS will pay more to banks in repayments over the next five years for three hospitals than those hospitals are actually worth.

“That is an example of the profligacy and incompetence that characterised Labour’s financial management and that Scotland’s public services are now paying for.”