An SNP minister has admitted it could be cheaper to scrap one of the troubled CalMac ferries currently under construction and start again.
But Neil Gray said the Scottish Government would push ahead with finishing the existing vessel as a new ferry could not be deployed until 2027 at the earliest.
The plan required the Wellbeing Economy Cabinet Secretary to issue a written direction to civil servants authorising spending on the ferry.
CalMac is currently waiting for two new vessels - Glen Sannox and the as-yet unnamed 802 - to be constructed at the nationalised Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow.
But completion is now several years late and costs are massively over budget.
In a statement to MSPs, Gray said: “Our island communities deserve to be supported by two new, energy efficient vessels with the capacity and reliability required to support vibrant island economies.
“While I accept the pure value for money assessment on vessel 802 is challenging, this narrow calculation does not take into account the added delays, the wider benefits of continuing the vessel’s build at Ferguson Marine or the full cost of not doing so.
“If written authority to complete vessel 802 at Ferguson’s was not provided, we could be looking at a delay in deploying a new vessel to May 2027 at the earliest – four years from now and two-and-a-half years after 802 is due to be delivered. I do not consider that it is acceptable to ask our island communities to wait this further period.
"Also, the due diligence assessment cannot take into account the impact of withholding investment on the Inverclyde and wider Scottish economies.
“While the impact on our island communities and on our economy are not covered by the value for money assessment, they have guided the decisions I have taken, which recognise the broader social and economic benefits of completing both ferries and ensuring the yard continues to have a strong platform upon which to progress and prosper.”
Labour MSP Alex Rowley said: “A string of SNP Ministers have come and gone, but not one has ever been held accountable for this mess.
“At the heart of this scandal are island communities, shipyard workers and taxpayers being badly failed.
“Securing the yard and delivering these ferries is essential – but that is the bare minimum the government needs to do.
“The SNP must deliver these ferries without any more delays or overruns, and set out a real long-term plan to protect the future of the yard.”
Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “Doesn’t this show utter contempt for this Parliament and for the taxpayer and for the workers and the islanders that the Transport Minister left in the middle of this statement and didn’t even have the courtesy to listen to the questions being answered?
“But who cares? In for a penny, in for a million pounds.
“We’ve had eight years of this utter fiasco in which the government has soaked the taxpayer, has betrayed the islanders and has utterly humiliated the workers.
“Yet, we’ve had six ministers in that time. Not a single one of them, including the current First Minister, has lost their job for this fiasco.
“Will anyone ever face the music for this disaster?”
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