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Public Accounts

My hon. Friend's last point illustrates a difficulty that arises in Government. We live in a political system under which Ministers understandably want to get their own projects up and running while they are in office. Projects in the public sector are often far bigger and more complex than those in the private sector. The combination of political interference—if I may put it that way—and the sheer scale of projects frequently causes disasters. But let me take up my hon. Friend's point immediately, and say that we do not always want to be critical.