The Scottish parliament building in Edinburgh will cost more than £300m, it emerged this week.
The Holyrood project was originally budgeted at no more than £40m, although an official estimate in March gave it a price tag of £266.4m. This has since increased because of £28.2m spent on improved bomb-proofing after 11 September and £14.2m for landscaping.

David McLetchie, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, said: “When will this fiasco end? Blank cheque after blank cheque has been negligently signed by the government. We now know that the true costs will be eight times the original figure.”

Mcletchie added that the £300m could have been used to build three hospitals, 83 primary schools or 25 secondary schools.