Call for evidence

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has decided to conduct an inquiry on ‘Private Finance Projects and off-balance sheet debt’. The committee will welcome written submissions concerning PFI projects to be submitted by the 25th September.

UNISON Officers will be co-ordinating the union's submission, so if you have any issues you would like to raise regarding PFI's please get in touch. Margie Jaffe, Policy Officer at UNISON National Office is working on this issue and she can be contacted at m.jaffe@unison.co.uk.

In particular, we would like to know your answers to the following questions:

1. Is enough information disclosed on Private Finance projects fully to assess whether the taxpayer is getting value-for-money?

2. How does the performance (e.g., cost, delivery dates and service quality) of schools, hospitals, prisons, roads and other projects operated under private finance compare to those which were traditionally procured?

3. Is there significant risk transfer to the private sector or is it more apparent than real?

4. What monitoring takes place and how effective is it?

5. have there been changes to the contract and if yes, how have they worked? Time; cost complexity etc..

6. Do you have any experience of alternatives to PFI

7. Has the employer you deal with on facilities management (FM) changed recently? If yes, what effect has this had?

a) What has happened to the workforce – eg number of jobs; training; terms and conditions?
b) What has happened to new starters on the contracts? Have they got the same terms and
conditions as transferred staff?

8) Has the FM contract been retendered or reviewed?

9) Is the school/hospital well designed? Good quality?

10) Have there been any problems?