'£100m' G8 police cost rejected

Officer conducting security checks at Gleneagles

Reports that the cost of policing the G8 summit at Gleneagles could reach £100m have been dismissed by the First Minister, Jack McConnell.

However, he repeatedly refused to offer an estimate for the final bill when challenged by the Scottish National Party at Holyrood.

He confirmed that the UK Government had offered £20m pounds towards policing the event in Perthshire in July.

He said the event's prestige outweighed "a penny or two going astray".

Clashing with the SNP during first minister's questions, he stressed the international importance of the summit.

Unless circumstances change in an exceptional manner over the course of the next few weeks, the cost of the G8 summit to Scotland will be nowhere near £100m Jack McConnell First Minister

Finance Minister Tom McCabe said in March that the extra cost of policing would be met by the Scottish Executive.

He told Holyrood's European and external relations committee that Edinburgh and Perth and Kinross councils would receive financial help.

Senior police officers said the event would cost tens of millions of pounds.

An exclusion zone is being planned around the famous Gleneagles Hotel after violent protests at previous G8 summits.

Police and security forces have already been gearing up in readiness for any civil disturbances, with training taking place at the disused hospital complex in Law, South Lanarkshire.

Riot training has been taking place at a disused hospital

Mr McConnell told the SNP's Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday that the reports of a £100m cost were inaccurate.

"That cost is not true, and unless circumstances change in an exceptional manner over the course of the next few weeks, the cost of the G8 summit to Scotland will be nowhere near £100m."

But Ms Sturgeon accused him of ducking the question of what he expected the actual cost to be.

She told MSPs that according to the executive website, officials had told the Treasury what they thought policing costs would be.

Mr McConnell told her: "There are basic costs that will obviously be required in ensuring the security round about whatever airports are used.

"Secondly, in ensuring the transport and accommodation of those supporting the delegations and obviously in assessing the cost of police and other security support for the summit itself."