Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 20 April 2022
The member should be aware that more than 200 documents have already been put in the public domain with regard to the issues that he is talking about, and that full information is there about the process that has gone on previously over the period that the Scottish Government has been involved.
Let me be clear that the Government expects the yard to complete the vessels successfully as a priority at the fastest and most achievable pace. We expect the yard to turn around its operation so that it is competitive, productive and efficient, and to secure a further pipeline of work on the basis of its operations.
As I said, the Government has now released more than 200 documents in two tranches—the most recent in March of this year. We undertook the most recent release because the Audit Scotland’s report referred to a range of reports and complex structures.
It is precisely in the interest of openness and transparency that we proactively published those documents on the Scottish Government website. I hope that those documents will help those with a less than full understanding of the issues that are involved to get a better picture of all aspects of the situation.
This is a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to open government that gives the public information about the decisions that it makes, supports people to understand and influence those decisions and values, and encourages accountability.
The Government recognises the value of supporting Scottish jobs, communities and shipbuilding, which is why we took the decisions that we did to keep Ferguson’s operational, and why we work to ensure that those ferries are delivered according to the timeline.
I move amendment S6M-04051.3, to leave out from “condemns” to end and insert:
“supports the Scottish Government’s decision to deliver vessels 801 and 802 to serve island communities; recognises that saving Ferguson Marine from closure preserved over 300 skilled jobs and maintained commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde; notes with regret the delays to the completion of 801 and 802, but acknowledges recent progress with the updated schedule; further notes the continued significant investment that the Scottish Government is making to ferry services to support lifeline services and remote communities, including the completion of the procurement of two new vessels to serve Islay; notes that the Scottish Government has made available to the Parliament and published significant information, in line with the commitment to open government, to allow the public to understand and contribute to the debate, with the proactive release of 210 documents, and recognises that much of the recent debate relates to information that has been in the public domain for two years.”
16:49Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S6M-04051.3 Economy: Ferries Motion