27 January - 2 February 2000

Lm12m in subsidies for Dockyard

The government paid Lm12,543,000 in subsidies to the Malta Drydocks last year, Finance Minister John Dalli said yesterday.

He said the government contributed Lm7,500,000 to the Drydocks' fund and Lm5,043,000 to the Drydocks' clearance fund during 1999. This was a total of Lm4,312,000 less than 1998.

During the same year, the government contributed Lm 6,169,000 to the Malta Shipbuilding, Mr Dalli said.

The government had contributed a subsidy of Lm8m to Malta Shipbuilding in 1998.

Mr Dalli was answering a parliamentary question put by Labour MP Joe Cilia.