Commenting on the publication of a Wales Audit Office report, which concludes the Welsh Government has wasted at least £1.8million purchasing and maintaining a hotel, which delivered absolutely no benefits to the taxpayer, Paul Davies AM, Shadow Finance Minister, said:

"This damning report highlights a widespread lack of rigour and scrutiny in the Welsh Government's spending of taxpayers' money.

"No business, individual or organisation would ever purchase a property without a full valuation, without any plans for its use and without even a basic consideration of the financial risks.

"There are some serious lessons to be learnt by Welsh Ministers, not least in terms of avoiding conflicts of interest and thoroughly assessing risks before spending public money.

"In tough economic times squandering such large sums of money without robust scrutiny is scandalous.

"Welsh Ministers need to fully account for this series of mistakes and provide evidence that lessons are being learnt to avoid such poor decision-making in future."