Published on 04/16/2010

More than 700 hospitals,schools, prisons and other public sector projects have been built under PFI schemes, funded by the taxpayer. The Treasury is failing to monitor the "excessive" profits being made by the sale of PFI equity in the so-called "secondary" market, the BBC Radio 4 investigates For two decades, the Private Finance Initiative has been a controversial way of building new hospitals, schools, roads and prisons.

Well over £200bn of taxpayers' money has been committed to the companies managing these projects. The coalition government describes some PFI contracts as 'ghastly' and wants some of this cash back. One cabinet minister says 'the people on the other side must have been laughing all the way to the bank'. But, while public services are facing cuts, PFI payments are guaranteed under watertight contracts. So experts say the government can win only small amounts in rebates.

Much of the money has already gone offshore. Huge profits have been made by selling and reselling many contracts in a secretive 'secondary market' - with none of the proceeds returning to the taxpayer. Gerry Northam investigates gaps in HM Treasury's knowledge of this trade and asks if PFI represents value for public money. Producer: Rob Cave.

Check This Webcast Out - File on 4: PFI Profits -

BBC Radio 4 has just run a brilliant programme looking at Britain's Private Finance Initiative, which seeks to fund public projects with private capital (and get some of the costs off the government's books in the process. ...

Publish Date: 06/15/2011 10:15

http://taxjustice.blogspot.com/2011/06/bbc-explains-scam-in-uks-private.html

BBC explains tax scam in UK's Private Finance Initiative

Public Finance Initiative (PFI) Data | data.gov.uk

HM Treasury publishes summary data on UK Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects twice yearly alongside fiscal events.

Publish Date: 05/24/2011 22:12

http://data.gov.uk/dataset/public-finance-initiative-pfi-data

Health Direct | Labour's Private Finance Initiative- NHS hospitals ...

Labour's Private Finance Initiative- NHS hospitals will cost taxpayers 60 years of pain.

Publish Date: 02/22/2011 20:47

http://www.healthdirect.co.uk/2011/02/labours-private-finance-initiative-nhs-hospitals-will-cost-taxpayers-60-years-of-pain.html

*PPP and PFI = Buy now, pay later « Living In A Madhouse

Treasury documents reveal that ministers have approved 200 new PFI deals worth £26 billion to start by 2010, and the amount involved in each has almost doubled. The average size of each contract awarded for the next four ...

Publish Date: 01/27/2011 20:32

http://livinginamadhouse.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/ppp-and-pfi-buy-now-pay-later/

Private Finance Initiative: an idiot's guide : David Osler

PFI always was a rip-off for the taxpayer. But just how egregious a scam the whole crooked set up has turned out to be is fully brought home in an article by Andrew Gilligan, of all people, published today in the Daily ...

Publish Date: 01/25/2011 13:53

http://www.davidosler.com/2011/01/private-finance-initiativean-idiots-guide/

Private sector feeds on the NHS - Daily Finance UK

Of course, the private sector is also doing very nicely out of the NHS, and that's not just due to the Coalition's plans. There's increasing evidence that the Private Finance Initiative designed by Gordon Brown when he ...

Publish Date: 04/19/2011 16:19

http://www.dailyfinance.co.uk/2011/04/19/private-sector-feeds-on-the-nhs/

NHS faces £65bn PFI repayment bill | Healthcare Network | Guardian ...

The Department of Health has said that the NHS will eventually pay six times the original value of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) buildings.

Publish Date: 08/13/2010 14:50

http://www.smarthealthcare.com/private-finance-initiative-nhs-pfi-repayment-13aug10

Stop Wasting Money on Inferior Management Training

It seems to be business as usual when business executives unwittingly waste their money when procuring employee training and development initiatives. That is the result of research undertaken by Scott Watson, Managing Director of UK and Bahrain based Summit Consulting and Training.

Mr Watson, whose supporters include some of the world’s leading companies and eminent academics recently polled one-hundred human resources executives to identify how they measured their return on investment from their training and development initiatives.

And after analysing the responses, Watson claimed, “There is significant room for improvement in procurement procedures, establishing precise success criteria before commencing training projects and developing greater responsibility for the delivery of enhanced results from the training provider.”

With corporate training budgets being reduced or even slashed entirely during the current economic climate, many under pressure human resources directors are finding that the goals they have been set by company executives before the downturn, are still expected to be delivered, even though funding is scarce.

So what can business leaders do to achieve a better return on their investment in time and of course, budget? Watson recommends that time invested at the outset to identify and select potential training partners can pay big dividends. “There is a big difference between hiring a training provider who will deliver a few days training, and appointing a trusted training partner who will collaborate fully and share ownership for the results you achieve,” he said. “The focus must be as much on what benefits will be realised in terms of measurable improvements in effectiveness as it is on the cost of the training programme.’

The research also identified that 74% of those polled who opted for an off-the-shelf soft-skills training package were less than satisfied with the level of value added to their organisation. “These two factors speak volumes when linked to quality and value for money,” continues Watson.

“An off-the-shelf package is focused largely on what the provider wants to teach your organisation rather than on what matters most, which is what your organisation needs to learn so it can improve its effectiveness” And in regards to the perceived low value in terms of value added to the organisation, Watson takes a very clear stance. “If a training programme is to add genuine value to an organisation, it is vital that the buyer and provider collaborate openly and honestly to establish how the learning will benefit the client, not just in terms of short-term boosts in performance, but longer-term, sustainable improvements. He continues, “Without a clear goal in mind from the start, and responsibilities allocated for embedding the learning back in the real world of work, virtually any well-intended training programme will fail to deliver any value or return on investment.”

But what steps can busy business leaders take to reduce the risk of wasting their hard-earned budget and maximise their potential for achieving something worthwhile from their investment? Watson’s advice is straightforward, “Stop looking at colourful brochures and start looking for proof of competence, a strong track record of high client satisfaction and willingness to be held accountable for delivering business benefits rather than just training.”