Olympic work snub for Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish

Grant Prior 14 years ago
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Angry Scottish MPs are demanding to know why local contractors and their colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland have won less that 2% of the work in the 2012 construction programme.

A parliamentary question by SNP Olympics spokesperson, Pete Wishart MP, revealed that Scottish firms had been awarded just £22m worth of contracts, Northern Irish firms £17m, Welsh firms £570,000 and overseas companies £12m.

English-based companies were awarded over £5 billion – more than 98% of the contracts.

Mr Wishart said the figures raised serious questions over whether contracts had been marketed fairly across the UK to deliver benefits for all.

He said: “The Olympics were supposed to bring opportunities for businesses all over the country, but it seems Scottish, Welsh and Irish firms have been an afterthought when lucrative contracts were awarded.

“The mammoth imbalance in where these contracts are going raises real questions on whether they are being marketed fairly across the UK to deliver benefits for all.

“It is a double whammy for Scotland because we are already missing out on any consequentials from the massive spending regenerating London’s East End for the Olympics whilst Downing Street denies the same funding to the Scottish Government for Glasgow which will host the Commonwealth Games.

“The UK Government has failed to honour assurances that companies across the country will benefit from the London Olympics. With hundreds of millions still to be spent, UK Ministers must make up for the Scottish short-fall in spending and make sure Scottish firms now benefit from this.”

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