FIRST MINISTER MUST GET A GRIP OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES BUDGET - FINNIE

Written by Ross Finnie on Thu 19th Nov 2009

FIRST MINISTER MUST GET A GRIP OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES BUDGET - FINNIE

Commenting on the Audit Scotland report on the Commonwealth Games, Liberal Democrat Sport spokesperson Ross Finnie MSP said:

"The Audit Scotland report makes sobering reading just three days after it was revealed that the budget for the Commonwealth Games had already soared by over £80 million.

"The report confirms our fears that Monday's storm of excuses for the budget increase won't be the last. We're likely to see the budget creep up and the Scottish Government's budget will have to be raided to plug the gaps.

"Audit Scotland is clear about who is responsible for keeping this in check. The buck stops with the First Minister. He has to get a grip of this budget. We need to know if his Government has a contingency plan should there be any expensive hitch in the preparations for the Games."

Ends.

Notes to Editors:

The Audit Scotland report says that "the Scottish Government, as guarantor, has underwritten any potential additional costs for the Organising Committee, above the approved Games budget, adjusted for inflation [and] certain security costs."

Exhibit 1 in the Audit Scotland report, showing the high-level governance structure, has the Glasgow 2014 Strategic Group at the top of the pile, the chair of which is our First Minister.