05/02/2013

UK Govt Must Pay For G8 Summit

A Sinn Féin MLA has said the British government must step up and foot the bill for the 2013 G8 summit in Fermanagh.

Fermanagh & South Tyrone MLA Phil Flanagan said Britain should provide funding to cover all costs associated with the summit.

"British Prime Minister David Cameron announced in November last year that the G8 summit would take place in Fermanagh this June," he said.

"However, in the time that has passed since the announcement was made, we have yet to hear the British government commit to absorb the full costs of staging this summit, including cost of policing it. Neither the Executive nor Fermanagh District Council can afford having to divert finance from already depleted budgets in order to facilitate this event for a very exclusive group of people.

"It would be wholly unacceptable to expect the people of the North and particularly those of Fermanagh already suffering significantly as a result of the austerity measures foisted upon them by the British government to incur unnecessary expense because of the G8 summit taking place."

The main venue for the event is to be Lough Erne golf resort near Enniskillen.

The G8 is a collection of leaders from the world’s wealthiest and most powerful countries, including the UK, USA, Germany and Japan.

It often attracts mass anti-capitalist demonstrations from groups opposed to what they see as the uneven distribution of wealth and power across the globe.

"There will be a considerable increase in the policing budget required, significant funds will required for preparity work as well as for the clean-up in the aftermath," Mr Flanagan continued.

"But we have yet to hear of any additional funding being provided by the British government to cover this additional expenditure, indeed indications coming from the British Government's Foreign & Commonwealth Office would indicate that additional funding will not be provided."

(IT)

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