£95 MILLION BOOST FROM TRIDENT CANCELLATION

£95 MILLION BOOST FROM TRIDENT CANCELLATION

THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND DO NOT WANT NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The cancellation of the replacement Trident missile system planned by Labour and the Tories could release £95 million for investment in Scottish health and education services, according to figures released by the Scottish Government.

The figure was revealed this week by Minister for Parliamentary Business Bruce Crawford in answer to Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick.

On the current estimates of £100 billion costs, if the money saved by cancelling the unnecessary and unwanted nuclear weapons was invested by the UK Government in education, health and justice programmes, it could result in £95 million of Barnett consequentials for real investment in Scotland.

Commenting, SNP MSP and Finance Committee member Joe FitzPatrick said:

"The next election is about choices for the future, and both Labour and the Tories are set on massive cuts to public investment which will hit every household in Scotland.

"It is indefensible to deny Scotland £95m of vital investment in these tough times while proceeding with a weapons system which the people of Scotland do not want.

"To waste vast sums of cash on this unwelcome project is impossible to justify. Any way that you look at it, on moral, economic or political grounds, renewal of these weapons of mass destruction is untenable."

SNP Westminster Leader and Defence Spokesperson, Angus Robertson MP added:

"The SNP at Westminster have always championed the scrapping of Trident.

"The only way to vote against Trident is with a vote for the SNP at the forthcoming General Election.

"The more SNP MPs we return, the louder Scotland's voice will be calling for an end to the obscene waste of money that Trident is."