Holyrood inquiry 'will leave no stone unturned', says minister

Scotland's first minister Jack McConnell has today (Friday) defended his decision to establish an independent inquiry into the soaring costs of the Holyrood building project.

He also told MSPs that no stone would be left unturned to get to the bottom of why the contract has increased to 10-times that of the original estimate made in 1997.

The current cost of the project, managed by Bovis Lend Lease, is now £375m. However new estimates suggest this could soar past the £400m mark.

In a statement to MSPs, McConnell vowed to hand over any documents demanded by the former Scottish lord advocate.

"Nothing that the government or parliament has done, either before or after devolution, will be beyond the scrutiny of the investigation," he said.

"The investigation will produce a full account of the key decisions and factors that have determined the cost and value of the parliament throughout the life of the project."

Last week McConnell set up an independent inquiry to be headed by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, who will also work alongside auditor general Robert Black.