Ministers spend £12,000 on TVs for their offices

Published on 22/01/2006 00:06

NEVER mind the pub, the best place to watch this year's World Cup may be the offices of the Scottish Executive which have recently been fitted out with some of the slickest new widescreen TVs.

Last year, the Executive spent more than 12,000 on new widescreen sets for its buildings in Edinburgh, including a 50-inch plasma screen for its biggest office at Victoria Quay in Leith.

Scotland on Sunday has discovered, using the Freedom of Information Act, that civil servants bought the sets after not spending anything on new TVs in either 2003 or 2004. The most expensive of the new sets was the 50-inch NEC plasma TV, costing 4,130, including installation. The Executive has also bought two 42-inch plasma screen NEC TVs at 1,595 each.

Scottish Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser, said: "This is another example of the profligate spending of taxpayers' money by this Labour-Liberal Democrat Executive."

An Executive spokesman said: "The Executive is committed to keeping costs down wherever possible. However, dated equipment needs to be replaced."