Salmond 'lied' to defend schools record

Published on Thursday 18 June 2009 23:13

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of lying to defend his government's poor record on building new schools.

He defended himself from claims in First Minister's questions yesterday from Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott that it had taken the SNP two years to announce its own school building programme.

The attack followed an announcement of a 1.25 billion programme to build 55 schools by 2018, and two years of criticism that the SNP has failed to initiate any new school building projects.

Mr Salmond was asked when Inverurie Academy in his own constituency would be replaced.

But Mr Salmond claimed that it took the first Labour/Liberal Democrat administration until June 2002 – three years after coming to office – to start building schools.

An angry Labour education spokeswoman, Rhona Brankin, pointed to a project in Mr Salmond's own back yard, Aberdeenshire, which was started just seven months after her party and the Lib Dems formed the Scottish Executive in 2007. Four other schemes were then started between late 1999 and July 2002.

"This was an example of a bare-faced lie," said Ms Brankin.

But a spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "This is Labour trying to have it both ways.

"The point is their national programme began after three years, ours after two. They lay claim to other projects in the interim period but they reject our argument that we have been responsible for 250 school projects since we came to power."