16/03/2026
"there are reasonably good arguments that Velindre/NHS Wales have made manifest errors and acted in breach of their duties"
https://nation.cymru/news/awarding-of-contract-to-build-new-cancer-hospital-broke-procurement-rules-says-barrister/
Colocate Velindre appreciates the opportunity to say something here about Velindre Trust’s response to Nation Cymru. The Trust’s remarks conspicuously swerved specific and powerful points made by barrister Simon Taylor of Keating Chambers on two key issues.
Full Opinion is now available at https://colocate-velindre.co.uk/a-publishing-first-legal-opinion-on-new-velindre-procurement-prepared-for-colocate-velindre/.
The Audit Wales report highlighted those same two topics. The Trust, by contrast, answered only with vague reference to an ‘extensive’ legal advice. As to its being ‘extensive’, the Trust and Government have only ever cited one single legal advisor. According to Trust managers, it is the firm that designed and runs the so called MIM regulations in Wales. The point is: we’re left with the impression that the Trust’s legal advice is somehow above all challenge. Clearly now, it is not. The public cannot even know for sure from the Audit Wales account that it was able to have direct sight of the Velindre’s advice on these two specific issues.
The first issue arises out of Trust claims that it followed UK regulations at the time. Mr Taylor’s report directly challenges this assumption, particularly the MIM’s use of one absolutely pivotal, crucial legal phrase not found in the UK rules. Similarly, Audit Wales reports from the Trust that the required ‘self-cleansing’ took place. Mr Taylor poses serious questions for this claim too. Yet these two issues go disregarded in the Trust’s response.
Lastly, a Trust spokesperson says, ‘the advice [of M Taylor] was nearly two years old and pre-dated lots of the scrutiny mentioned in the Trust’s statement.’ This is so vague as to be meaningless. Nothing in the Trust’s scrutiny statements to Nation Cymru says anything about either of the issues we raise above. If, at a guess, Trust comment refers to the newer UK Procurement Act, that was already in force from March 2023. It is even stricter on procurement exclusion than the one said to underpin decisions in 2022.
We call upon Velindre Trust, in the public interest, to publish its legal advice so that it can be placed alongside Mr Taylor’s.
Velindre Matters
Martin Shipton A campaign group has released a barrister’s opinion that argues a contract awarded for the construction of a new cancer hospital broke procurement regulations because two of the companies involved in the winning consortium had convictions for corruption. Simon Taylor of Keating Cham...
