 |
In the news recently:
NHS negligence cost us £4bn- "BRITAIN could have had 16 giant new hospitals - if doctors had not made so many cock-ups. NHS chiefs have used £4BILLION of taxpayers' cash in clinical negligence costs since 1997. And that would have been enough to build at least 16 fully-equipped 418-bed hospitals costing £240million each. The Department of Health said a QUARTER of the payouts went into lawyers' pockets." (People 17.6.07)
£6,000 party for Lord Levy- "A farewell party for Lord Levy to mark his service as the prime minister's personal envoy in the Middle East will cost taxpayers an estimated £6,000, Foreign Office minister, Geoff Hoon, disclosed. It will be hosted by the foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, at Lancaster House, an opulent mansion in central London, next Tuesday. The 61-year-old peer and Labour fundraiser - who has been caught up in the cash-for-honours controversy - will stand down as envoy this month after nine years." (Guardian 13.6.07)
Blair's Supreme Court to cost £100m plus- "The cost of giving Britain’s most senior judges a court of their own will top £100million. The bill for converting Middlesex Guildhall in Parliament Square into a Supreme Court will be £63million, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer has revealed. Furniture, likely to be among the best money can buy, a vast library, computer equipment and consultancy fees will add a further £20.2million. Moving lower courts previously based at the neo-Gothic building in central London to a new home at Isleworth, West London, will add a further £18.2million – taking the total to £101.4million. On top of this, annual running costs are put at £12.3million – a rise of £1.9million on the estimate a year ago... The Supreme Court will consist of the same people as the current Law Lords. They will simply be sitting in a building less than 300 yards away." (Mail 14.6.07)
Total for week- £4,100,006,000
by Mike Denham
|
In the news recently:
NHS negligence cost us £4bn- "BRITAIN could have had 16 giant new hospitals - if doctors had not made so many cock-ups. NHS chiefs have used £4BILLION of taxpayers' cash in clinical negligence costs since 1997. And that would have been enough to build at least 16 fully-equipped 418-bed hospitals costing £240million each. The Department of Health said a QUARTER of the payouts went into lawyers' pockets." (People 17.6.07)
£6,000 party for Lord Levy- "A farewell party for Lord Levy to mark his service as the prime minister's personal envoy in the Middle East will cost taxpayers an estimated £6,000, Foreign Office minister, Geoff Hoon, disclosed. It will be hosted by the foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, at Lancaster House, an opulent mansion in central London, next Tuesday. The 61-year-old peer and Labour fundraiser - who has been caught up in the cash-for-honours controversy - will stand down as envoy this month after nine years." (Guardian 13.6.07)
Blair's Supreme Court to cost £100m plus- "The cost of giving Britain’s most senior judges a court of their own will top £100million. The bill for converting Middlesex Guildhall in Parliament Square into a Supreme Court will be £63million, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer has revealed. Furniture, likely to be among the best money can buy, a vast library, computer equipment and consultancy fees will add a further £20.2million. Moving lower courts previously based at the neo-Gothic building in central London to a new home at Isleworth, West London, will add a further £18.2million – taking the total to £101.4million. On top of this, annual running costs are put at £12.3million – a rise of £1.9million on the estimate a year ago... The Supreme Court will consist of the same people as the current Law Lords. They will simply be sitting in a building less than 300 yards away." (Mail 14.6.07)
Total for week- £4,100,006,000
by Mike Denham