Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-09463, in the name of Michael Marra, on a resilience fund for CalMac disruption. I would be grateful if m...

Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

The motion that we have put forward has a simple ask of this Government: to establish a resilience fund for businesses that are affected by the disruption to...

The Presiding Officer NPA

I call Màiri McAllan to speak to and move amendment S6M-09463.2. 16:08

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition (Màiri McAllan) SNP

Before beginning, I would like to welcome Fiona Hyslop to her new post. She brings an enormous amount of experience to the role, and I am really pleased to b...

Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Will the cabinet secretary give way?

Màiri McAllan SNP

I will give way briefly, but I have a lot that I would like to get through.

Paul Sweeney Lab

Does the cabinet secretary accept that other fleets of similar vintages operate with much greater resilience than is shown in the CalMac fleet? Why is there ...

Màiri McAllan SNP

Mr Sweeney’s comments come on the back of my full recognition of the need to improve CalMac’s reliability and rebuild confidence in the fleet, so that should...

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Lab

I think that members are interested in how the Government, rather than CalMac, will respond to the demonstrations on South Uist.

Màiri McAllan SNP

I have just started to address the two aspects of the Government’s plan and to set out what we will do, in our gift, to address the issue. I am not at all sh...

Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab) Lab

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Màiri McAllan SNP

I am afraid that I do not have time—I am exceptionally short on time. The contract that we have in place with CalMac allows us to make penalty deductions wh...

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Michael Marra Lab

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Màiri McAllan SNP

I am very conscious of time.

The Presiding Officer NPA

I must ask the cabinet secretary to conclude. We are very tight for time.

Màiri McAllan SNP

I will leave it there. I hope that my colleague the Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade will be able to cover any other points. I move amendme...

The Presiding Officer NPA

I call Graham Simpson to speak to and move amendment S6M-09463.1. 16:14

Graham Simpson (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

I am afraid that I did not hear any kind of plan there. I thank Labour for bringing the debate to the chamber; we will support its motion, of course. In Ma...

The Presiding Officer NPA

I am certainly content with what I can hear; the sound is audible.

Graham Simpson Con

Okay, I will carry on. Mr Stewart was just minutes into the job when I asked him an urgent question about what the Government was doing to restore ferry ser...

Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD

I am pleased to note that transport has been restored to Cabinet level; it should never have been removed. I take this opportunity to welcome Fiona Hyslop to...

The Presiding Officer NPA

We move to the open debate. 16:22

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I welcome this important debate and I speak in support of my Labour colleague Michael Marra’s motion. As Michael Marra said, Scotland’s islanders are right ...

The Presiding Officer NPA

We are very tight for time, Mr Bibby, so I must ask you to conclude.

Neil Bibby Lab

Okay. In closing, I say that warm words from the Government mean nothing and do nothing for island communities, unless the Government is willing to put its ...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Thank you, Mr Bibby.

Neil Bibby Lab

—a proper resilience fund to compensate businesses. 16:27

Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) SNP

We all know about, and we have quite rightly rehearsed today, the problems facing the CalMac network. There are not enough ships. The ships that are there ar...

Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

I hear what Alasdair Allan says about islands requiring ferries and how they differ in their capacities, but does he agree that one of the most invidious thi...