Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 March 2026 [Draft]
03 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Ferguson Marine
I thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of her statement. The number 1 reason why we do not have a resilient ferry service is that we do not have a resilient ferry fleet. The SNP has taken almost 19 years to equal the number of ferries that were built under the Scottish Labour-led Government in the previous eight years.
I welcome the decision to directly award two ferries and two marine vessels to Ferguson Marine. The yard has a track record of building such vessels, and Scottish Labour has said before that the Scottish Government needs to lead by example by awarding the yard future work.
I join the Deputy First Minister in commending the work of the GMB, and particularly Alex Logan. There has been a lot of blame going around about the ferries fiasco, but the one group of people who have been blameless throughout are the workforce.
When does the Deputy First Minister expect work on the vessels to start and to be completed by? When will the business plan for yard modernisation be updated? To give confidence to the Parliament, the public and the workforce, will the Deputy First Minister say which of those measures will be completed by the time she leaves office?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, on Ferguson Marine. The Deputy First Minister will take questions at the ...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to update the Parliament on Ferguson Marine. My statement will build on the Cabinet Secretary for Transport’s statement and set out...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Before we move to questions, I highlight that the Presiding Officers should not read in the media that details of an announcement of this significance are in...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of her statement. I welcome the announcement that the Scottish Government intends to return Ferguson Mari...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I engage very regularly with the chief executive, largely, and the chair of Ferguson Marine about the Glen Rosa. I have said to the Parliament before that th...
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the Deputy First Minister for advance sight of her statement. The number 1 reason why we do not have a resilient ferry service is that we do not have...
Kate Forbes
SNP
It is worth putting on record what my colleague said a few moments ago—that a third of the vessels in the fleet are being replaced as we speak, and we have, ...
Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the Deputy First Minister for what is an outstanding announcement and show of support for our yard and my community. It will be welcomed by the workf...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Stuart McMillan has been a tireless advocate for the future of Ferguson Marine and has often made the point to me that Ferguson Marine is more than just an e...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
We in the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee have heard that the underrecoveries for Ferguson Marine run at about £1 million a month. That is required ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I will talk about the principle then come to the specific figure.On the additional cost, we know how critical it is for the yard to undergo a programme of mo...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
I warmly welcome the announcement of new vessel procurement at Ferguson Marine. However, given the difficulties in the construction of the Glen Sannox and Gl...
Kate Forbes
SNP
The commitment is to support Ferguson Marine to compete on the open market for additional work in order to safeguard its future. We will support it to do tha...
Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I remind members of my voluntary register of trade union interests.We have said all along that we just want these workers to be given a fighting chance to wi...
Kate Forbes
SNP
That allows me to specifically name Alex Logan and put on the record how grateful I am to him for his absolutely tireless and unwavering commitment to the ya...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I advise members that a number of members seek to ask a question—one question, not three. It would be helpful if we could have succinct questions and answers...
Jackie Dunbar (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
Can the Deputy First Minister say any more about the choice of the four vessels and why they are ideal candidates for the development and success of the yard?
Kate Forbes
SNP
In terms of the support for the workforce and for the yard, we will continue to keep Parliament updated on the progress that we make. I am very conscious tha...
Lorna Slater (Lothian) (Green)
Green
Lack of a detailed engineering design specification at place of order was what kicked off the difficulties with the current vessels and, at the time, caused ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Obviously, there has been engagement up to this point, particularly from Marine Scotland. The member will appreciate that, within Government, there are quite...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (LD)
LD
I absolutely welcome any intention to give the yard some work. It has cross-party support and the yard has been crying out for it for a number of years, so a...
Kate Forbes
SNP
There is a very thorough process and we know what steps are required. Officials are progressing a dedicated programme of work to assess and enable the propos...
Emma Roddick (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
SNP
It is vital that we invest in the yard’s future sustainability, so I warmly welcome this announcement from the Deputy First Minister. Can she say any more ab...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I said in my statement that it would be over the next five years. There is a programme to complete the Glen Rosa, and it is important to reiterate the requir...
Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am not entirely sure what we have heard in the announcement, because so much of what the Deputy First Minister has said seems to be uncertain. Indeed, she ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I can unequivocally say that the orders are not dependent on the distribution of the £14.2 million, but we know that that can run alongside the projects. In ...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
As the Deputy First Minister set out, Ferguson Marine has seen welcome improvements in governance and reporting, and, alongside today’s significant announcem...
Kate Forbes
SNP
All those points are absolutely critical. We recognise that there have been reputational challenges in the past, but the yard is demonstrating its wider indu...
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
The four-vessel programme is very welcome news indeed, because demand signal is critical to shipyard viability. However, does the Deputy First Minister agree...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Paul Sweeney has been a regular advocate for, and representative of, the yard, and I pay tribute to him, in particular, for his questions around the direct a...