PM meeting sought to help society

Thousands of people face losing their savings

Martin McGuinness has urged the prime minister to step in and assist members of the Presbyterian Mutual Society faced with losing their life savings.

He was responding to an Assembly question from the UUP MLA David Burnside about whether the government should nationalise the society.

The organisation was placed into administration in November.

The deputy first minister said he and Peter Robinson had written to Gordon Brown seeking a meeting on the issue.

"Obviously there is a very difficult situation facing many people who invested in the Presbyterian Mutual Society and we in the Executive are very sympathetic to their plight at this time," said Mr McGuinness.

"And we do believe there is a responsibility on Gordon Brown and the British government to recognise their responsibility to ensure that those people do not incur losses to what for many are their life savings."