By Steve Bargeton, political editor

THE SCOTTISH public must pay the price of the botched Holyrood project to leave a legacy for future generations.

That was the opinion of former Presiding Officer Sir David Steel as he gave evidence for the second time to the Fraser Inquiry yesterday.

“The cost will in due course become recognised as the price the Scottish nation had to pay to achieve its aspirations,” he said.

“What we will have, admittedly at great expense, is a building of national renown which the people of Scotland will enjoy for many generations to come.”

Sir David, who was in charge of the project for four years, said he had done all he could to keep costs down but admitted a key factor was MSPs’ demands to virtually double its planned size.

“We were extremely unhappy every time there was an increase in the cost figure,” he said. “It’s not a pleasant experience to have to announce to the public through the finance committee with a letter explaining away the costs.”

Sir David added, “Of course we felt the pressure to keep the costs down wherever we could—and we did whenever we could.”

He claimed he had done everything in his power to “tie up all the loose ends” before he retired.

“We were given the figure of £338 million and a completion date of November 2003,” he told Lord Fraser.

“Figures were used like ‘95% certain’ and we accepted this was the case.

“I can understand the exasperation of my successor when he was suddenly confronted with a seven-month delay and another £38 million right after the elections.”

Earlier the inquiry was told there is no way of knowing the final bill.

The Parliament’s chief executive Paul Grice agreed with Lord Fraser that the ‘construction management’ system used at Holyrood made capping it impossible.

“Under construction management, if that’s the course you follow, there’s no such thing as a cap. You get it when it’s finished,” said Lord Fraser.

“It seems to me that that’s what’s bedevilled this project all along, MSPs, yourself and others all along have been trying to put a cap on it. And the fact is that you can’t do that.”

Mr Grice said it was agreed in 2001 capping the cost was not the best way but that didn’t mean “people would give up on cost.”

The inquiry takes its final evidence today, with an interim report in the summer.