THE ASTONISHING profits forecast for institutions and individuals who invest in the UK government private finance initiative (PFI) projects are revealed today in a Sunday Herald investigation.

Equity of just £100 invested in rebuilding Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride is predicted to earn £89 million in dividends over 30 years.

And £500,000 of equity in the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is expected to earn £168m in dividends.

The revelations are gleaned from thousands of papers released under freedom of information laws.

They have provoked fury from critics of the PFI schemes.

Alex Neil, a member of the Scottish government's finance committee, said: "PFI has been a total rip-off of the taxpayer and one of the biggest cons every perpetrated. It's morally criminal that this information has been deliberately hidden for years."