«Cuts will not harm 2012 Games»

Robertson at the Aquatics Centre (r) at the Olympic Park in Stratford
New Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says that the revised London Olympic budget will not affect the 2012 Games.

As part of wider public spending cuts, the Government wants a ￡ 27 m saving from the Olympic delivery authority (ODA)-the body to build games sites.

But Robertson told BBC Radio 5 live: "the Government's priority is to deliver the London 2012 Games on time and on budget.

"So, we do nothing at all with budget jeopardise that."

The previous Labour Government had said. 325bn ￡ 9 funding for games in East London was fenced-ring.

However, the fledgling conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition announced Monday that ￡ 27 m total ￡ 6 billion of public spending cuts-a first step to address the national record budget deficit of the country would take the 2012 Olympics.

APS has made ￡ 600 m pounds of savings by 2007, and now has ￡ 8 billion to complete the Olympic sites, with the last final cost estimated at around ￡ 7 billion euros-an increase of around 5 million pounds compared to the previous quarter, but still well within the target.

However, cost increases are forecast for the projects of the Olympic village and the city of Stratford and more cuts are expected during the year, leaving little room for manoeuvre.

Robertson insisted, however, this angle-cut is not on the agenda of the Government.

"We signed up to a set of commitments of delivery keys to Singapore in 2005 [when London was awarded the Games]-I was out there, in fact, as the spokesman of the opposition at the moment as part of the offer," he said.

"And we must respect such commitments in 2012. So, it's not like other government projects where you can order to alter the flow rate in half. "

The Ministry of the Interior, meanwhile, has announced a review of the operation of security for the games and Robertson was adamant safety would not be compromised.

"That is both a procedural as a thing of the budget," he said. "Will anything in terms of budget that the delivery of a safe Olympics."

The security audit will be carried out by the former Chairman of the Joint Committee on intelligence-Government that oversees the work of MI5 and MI6-Dame Pauline Neville-Jones.

No date has been set for when they published his discoveries.

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