Meeting of the Parliament 25 November 2015
That would have been the effect had the services been completely unbundled but, as the Government and the minister know, the services could have been partly unbundled to make the contracts of a size that would have allowed our other ferry companies to compete in the process, and that would have been of great benefit.
An unusual aspect of this debate is that, after I speak, the minister who handled the previous tendering process will have an opportunity to give his opinion of what happened during it. I look forward to hearing what Tavish Scott has to say and to his bringing to bear in this debate his ministerial experience of the process and his telling us the truth about the current process.
In my opinion, the Scottish Government has done the absolute minimum necessary to avoid crossing over European rules and has missed the opportunity to take forward a tendering process that would have delivered much more effectively. In so doing, it is failing service users and taxpayers alike.
The guarantees that have been put in place in the process mean that the ships themselves and the handling facilities will remain in the Scottish Government’s ownership, while the services will be managed by whoever wins the contract, largely with the same staff and the same service providers that have traditionally been used. Today, we are arguing not about changing the way in which these services are delivered—more’s the pity—but about efficient and effective management that provides an affordable service in the long term. The Government has not done as much as it could have, although it has done what it was required to do.
I move amendment S4M-14942.1, to leave out from “at the public sector” to end and insert:
“across Scotland for their dedication to connecting the country’s island communities; recognises in particular the work of Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) staff over the period of the last Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract, and encourages the Scottish Government to ensure that the tender process for the future contract is conducted in a transparent, fair and legal manner.”
15:01Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.