Committee
Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 06 Mar 2001
06 Mar 2001 · S1 · Education, Culture and Sport Committee
Item of business
National Stadium Inquiry
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In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
The Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture will stay with us for this item and we are joined by John Gilmour, who is head of the sport policy unit at th...
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
The committee has taken a lot of evidence and knows most of the facts involved in the matter and I have provided you with a wind-up letter on the subject but...
The Convener:
Lab
Thank you, minister, for your statement.
Michael Russell:
SNP
The committee has received a great deal of evidence so far in what was meant to be a short, sharp inquiry and is now a lengthy inquiry. Patrick Andrews has n...
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
I do not think so. We could have walked away. That option was open to us all the time. The first decision that we had to make when we were presented with the...
Michael Russell:
SNP
When Christmas came and the negotiations were still going on, you expected them to start again on 6 January. When, as the report says, they did not start aga...
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
I will have to ask you too to make that judgment. We were acting in good faith. There were lots of telephone calls because we could not understand what the h...
Michael Russell:
SNP
Let us move on. That was the most difficult moment. A recovery was possible. Paragraph 4.2 of the document gives a number of reasons for why the rescue packa...
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
It was £450,000.
Michael Russell:
SNP
What period does that cover?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
The period of administration.
Michael Russell:
SNP
For that short period?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
Yes.
Michael Russell:
SNP
The sum of £450,000?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
Yes.
Michael Russell:
SNP
I do not know whether you or Patrick Andrews are in a position to comment on this, minister, but how far is that in excess of what would have been expected?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
That is completely beyond my scope of knowledge. I was staggered when I saw the figure—I thought "My golly, these people do well."
Patrick Andrews (Shepherd & Wedderburn):
As I put it to the interim administrator and to Dundas & Wilson, I can say only that I thought that it was an astonishing provision for fees, given the amoun...
Michael Russell:
SNP
I am not asking you to tell me what the estimate would have been if you had done the work, but as you were close to this what would be a fair estimate for th...
Patrick Andrews:
It is difficult to say. All I can do is compare it with my fees for the same period.
Michael Russell:
SNP
What would they be?
Patrick Andrews:
I cannot say what my fees would be for the same period, but I can tell you that from 16 August, when I was first instructed, up to completion, my firm's fees...
Michael Russell:
SNP
That speaks for itself. Paragraph 4.2 goes on:"A deterioration in the settlement terms agreed with AR Limited/Austin Reilly".Precisely what does that mean?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
When we first agreed the settlement term, before the move to administration, it was agreed that the package was just over £4 million, of which just over £3 m...
Michael Russell:
SNP
How much is involved financially in that package?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
I think that the figure is £100,000.
Michael Russell:
SNP
How much extra did this cost McAlpine?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
I do not know. You would have to ask McAlpine that.
Michael Russell:
SNP
But it was a significant increase?
Mr Galbraith:
Lab
I would like the committee to recognise the contribution that McAlpine has made to the settlement of this deal, which was considerable. You will have to get ...