Let the British MoD fix its own ships - Flanagan

October 12, 2012

Responding to the news that Enterprise, Trade & Investment  Minister Arlene Foster has allocated £100,000 to carry out repair works on HMS Caroline, Sinn Féin MLA Phil Flanagan said:

"I am appalled at the decision to award such a substantial amount of money from the Enterprise, Trade & Investment budget to carry out repair works on HMS Caroline.

"It has been gifted by the British MoD with a remedial repairs bill of £100,000. If this warship is in need of repair works, then it should have been left to the MoD to fund it instead of throwing public money at restoration. 

"Why should a devolved administration fund the repair when the MoD's annual budget stands somewhere in the region of £38 billion, £28 billion more than the total budget allocated to our Executive by the British Treasury?

"Surely this money, which comes from the Enterprise, Trade & Investment budget, could be better spent on hard-pressed employment schemes with a meaningful effect on creating jobs and growing our local economy."