Tuesday, 18th November 2008
Collapsed ceiling saves taxpayers over a million pounds
A saving of £1.1million was made when the European Parliament had to miss two sessions in Strasbourg - following a partial collapse of the roof in the main debating chamber.
The figures were released last night (Monday 17th November) at a special meeting of the Parliament's presidency. Commenting on the revelations, Scots Tory MEP Struan Stevenson said:
"When ten tonnes of ceiling fell into the chamber this August, MEPs were unable to attend two plenary sessions in Strasbourg while repairs were carried out.
“Now it has been revealed that an astonishing £550,000 per month has been saved! That is the cost of moving 780 MEPs and 4000 staff from Brussels to Strasbourg every month. There would be other massive savings if we closed down the parliament building in Strasbourg and re-located permanently to Brussels.”
Previous moves to give up the parliament in Strasbourg have been resisted by the French, but Mr Stevenson says that it is time for them to rethink their position:
He continued:
“The French have consistently vetoed any attempts to relocate our work to Brussels and unless we secure a unanimous vote in the Council of Ministers, we cannot stop this monthly travelling circus. This intransigence on the issue of Strasbourg can no longer be tolerated.
“The travelling circus that forces the parliament to move, lock, stock and barrel every month from Brussels to Strasbourg and back again can no longer be justified in terms of cost, duplication or disruption to its business. Nor is it sustainable in environmental terms, security or even plain common sense to move an institution around in this way simply to placate one member state and enrich a French city.
“We should tell Mr Sarkozy that France will have to pay the bill in future for the huge additional costs we are forced to meet by running two separate parliaments.”
