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Union rejects hospital contract Union rejects hospital contract
(10 minutes later)
A £267m contract to build a new hospital in Fermanagh has been awarded to a private consortium.A £267m contract to build a new hospital in Fermanagh has been awarded to a private consortium.
The new hospital will be built under the Private Finance Initiative scheme. The hospital will be built under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.
The trade union Unison opposes the scheme and has claimed it will take too much money from the Department of Health annual budget for the next 25 years. However, trade union Unison has claimed this will take too much money from the Department of Health's annual budget for the next 25 years.
The Department of Health defended its decision, saying PFI is only chosen when it provides best value for money.The Department of Health defended its decision, saying PFI is only chosen when it provides best value for money.
Patricia McKeown from the Union said she had serious concerns about the project: "This is not a viable contract for the Private Finance Initiative, it's being built as a PFI but it doesn't meet the Treasury requirements. Patricia McKeown from the union said she had "serious concerns about the project".
"This is not a viable contract for the Private Finance Initiative, it's being built as a PFI but it doesn't meet the Treasury requirements.
"Therefore our health service is going to have to pump £23m a year into it for the next 25 years."Therefore our health service is going to have to pump £23m a year into it for the next 25 years.
"It's going to have a knock-on effect to how health services are delivered, particularly in the western trust area because that money will eventually come out of the direct delivery of healthcare.""It's going to have a knock-on effect to how health services are delivered, particularly in the western trust area because that money will eventually come out of the direct delivery of healthcare."
The Department of Health said in a statement there were "no substance to the figure of £23m quoted in the Unison press release". The Department of Health said in a statement there was "no substance" to the figure of £23m quoted by Unison.
It also said no payments would be made to the contractor until the hospital is completed and handed over to the trust. It also said no payments would be made to the contractor until the hospital was completed and handed over to the trust.
They also said that "this project is expected to create in excess of 200 new construction jobs in the local area." "This project is expected to create in excess of 200 new construction jobs in the local area," added a spokesman.