Nicola Sturgeon has been blasted after it was revealed her authorities paid the previous boss of a scandal-hit shipyard £3,000 per day.
Tim Hair was employed as a "turnaround director" at Ferguson Marine after the enterprise was nationalised by SNP ministers in 2019.
The maritime skilled was paid a day by day charge of £3,000 plus bills, in response to paperwork obtained by Scottish Labour.
The yard entered administration earlier than Hair's appointment after it was suffering from delays and value overruns related to the development of two new CalMac ferries - each of that are nonetheless to be completed.
It was introduced final week that each vessels will not enter service till the top of 2023 on the earliest.
Labour chief Anas Sarwar immediately pressed the First Minister on the cash paid to Hair - who has since left the enterprise - and requested her if she thought she was "signing Lionel Mess?".
He mentioned: "The waste of public cash - 1 / 4 of a billion kilos to this point - by the federal government at Fergusons doesn't finish with the award of the ferry contract.
"In August 2019, Tim Hair was appointed as turnaround director on the yard.
"Emails obtained via Freedom of Data present the appointment was rushed via with out the same old competitors in just some days.
"Mr Hair was chosen from a shortlist of simply three folks. Within the technique of negotiating his wage, he began by providing a charge of £2,000 per day - however ended up being paid £3,000 per day and bills.
"These emails present the First Minister was knowledgeable about all of this and did not increase a single objection."
Sturgeon responded: "These selections had been taken on the time in keeping with correct processes and procedures and other people paying the market charge.
"I do not set the market charge for what persons are paid.
"There's a new chief government in place at Fergusons and he has up to date the parliament on the revised timescale for the ferries."
She added: "Greater than something, we'll think about competing the ferries and focus on securing future for the shipyard."
Sarwar hit again: "Market charge? £3,000 per day? Had been you signing Lionel Messi?
"Who's the First Minister kidding? I do not hear any apology or any remorse for paying this man £2 million.
"Let's not neglect - that £2 million was to show across the yard. However the ferries nonetheless usually are not delivered and are costing extra."
The First Minister mentioned she didn't assume the expertise of the ferries contract was “acceptable in any manner, form or kind”.
She continued: “We should always not lose sight of the truth that however for Authorities intervention, this shipyard would not be operational, it might not be open and there can be no one employed.
“Proper now we now have greater than 400 folks employed in that shipyard and we intend to do all the things we are able to to make sure that it has a brilliant future, which I feel is what folks in Port Glasgow and throughout Scotland will wish to see.”
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