Fraser report approved by MSPs

Andy Kerr defended the first minister's decision

MSPs have voted to accept the findings of the Fraser Inquiry into the cost of the new Scottish Parliament building.

They voted by 86 to 24 against an SNP amendment criticising First Minister Jack McConnell's role in the affair.

A Conservative amendment urging ministers to take responsibility for the project was defeated by 68 votes to 42.

Finance Minister Andy Kerr vowed to modernise the civil service and called on them to sharpen their skills.

Jack McConnell had earlier denied he was ducking the issue by deciding against speaking in the debate.

Mr Kerr dismissed criticism of the first minister as unfair.

Scottish civil servants may refer to London, but they do not defer to London Finance Minister Andy Kerr

"I am the minister with responsibility to participate in this debate and make clear how the executive intends to take forward the lessons from Lord Fraser's report on these issues," Mr Kerr said.

The finance minister said the executive would modernise the civil service and he criticised what he described as misinformation about how it operates.

"There is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and say that we can't make any changes without someone in Whitehall telling us what we can do," he said.

New regulations

"This is simply not true. Our civil servants are accountable to us as Scottish ministers and we, in turn, are accountable to parliament.

"Scottish civil servants may refer to London, but they do not defer to London."

Mr Kerr said the Fraser report had shown that "a gifted amateur" civil servant was not good enough for the job.

Our successive finance ministers, Messrs McConnell, Mackay and Kerr, should have intervened as costs escalated David McLetchie Scottish Tory leader

"We need our civil servants to continue to develop their skills and expertise in leadership, policy-making and management so that they can meet the demands of government in 21st Century Scotland," he said.

Under new rules for government contracts, ministers must be made aware of any risks, advice must not be filtered and regulations will be introduced for design competitions.

But the first minister came under intense criticism from opposition MSPs.

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing said the part played by Mr McConnell, formerly the finance minister, had been "absolutely key".

Fergus Ewing said the first minister's role was "absolutely key"

He said: "It was the role of the finance minister, as it is now, to be the steward of the public purse."

He also said that to blame the construction management contract for the lack of control on costs was like a workman blaming his tools.

Conservative leader David McLetchie claimed ministers should have acted to address problems inherited when the project was handed over to Holyrood.

He said: "At the very least our successive finance ministers, Messrs McConnell, Mackay and Kerr, should have intervened as costs escalated and other budgets inevitably suffered.

'Spread the blame'

"Instead the executive has adopted a strategy of avoiding responsibility by trying to spread the blame."

Long-term Holyrood critic and independent MSP Margo MacDonald stressed that "a sizeable group of people" had some responsibility for the project.

She said the parliament's reputation had been damaged by "the short history of decision-making processes" and she believed lessons must be learned from the controversy.

The special sitting was extended to 1900 BST for MSPs to debate the contents of Lord Fraser's report.