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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We have heard evidence from the turnaround director, Tim Hair, and we have looked at the review board report. I am sure that you are aware that the report is very critical of management at Ferguson Marine. It says that FMEL did not maintain adequate project plans or records ma...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
26 Aug 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You have commented on the cost differences, which is fine. However, there was also an opportunity to mediate before the decision was made to nationalise the yard. There could have been another solution, and mediation could have taken place even at that late stage to allow FMEL...
4. Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Chamber
24 May 2017
Portfolio Question Time · Queensferry Crossing Construction Team (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Queensferry crossing construction team. (S5O-01012)
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
This question is for Mr Hair. I want drill down a bit more into the costs. The original agreed price for the two vessels was £97 million. There are now two vessels: one is in the water, I assume three-quarters built, and one is on the slip, half built. Would that be fair to sa...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Nevertheless, you have an asset there. A ship is floating in the water right now. Surely there must be some value in that.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Does Michelle Rennie have any comment to make in response to my question?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I find this absolutely incredible. You have a hull in the water, and I assume that the basic hull is fine. You speak about paint work. For goodness’ sake, that is an issue, but it is a very minor issue in relation to the total build cost of the two ships. Even if you have to u...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
No, maybe not.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I want to examine some of the other issues that are raised in the programme review board’s report. As has been mentioned, FMEL failed to keep adequate or even basic records such as the bill of materials. Mr Hair, in your opinion, is poor record keeping unique to this project o...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
In your opinion, are those poor practices down to poor management?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Returning to the basic design, I note that the crux of this complete fiasco is the fact that you were trying to build ships without the design being complete. We have heard that it is not complete even now. How did that happen? What action are you taking to ensure that, before...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Does that mean that work is being done on the ships or are you still holding back because you are waiting for the final design? You stressed the importance of doing things in the right sequence. Does that mean that nothing is happening on the ships because you are waiting for ...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
22 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
The design has been subcontracted to this Vera Navis company in Portugal. In your opinion, is the wholly ineffective design process down to the management at FMEL or is it down to the subcontractor, Vera Navis, not being up to scratch and being unable to do the work timeously ...
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I note your frustration that people from CalMac or CMAL come to speak to you and ask your opinion as a community, but that it appears that once they have heard your opinion, they go away and ignore it. Have you any idea why that is the case? Why do they consult you and then no...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
The project review board concluded that continuing to build the two new ferries—even though it will cost us about £110 million—should be the intention. We kind of have the answer to this question, but I will ask it of both Roy Pedersen and Alf Baird: do you agree?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
That the best decision is to carry on and finish the two ships at a cost of roughly £110 million.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I will drill down into this a bit more. You suggested that we might finish vessel 801 but scrap the 802, as a kind of halfway-house solution. Can you explain that a bit more?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Is that—
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You obviously think that the fine dining is important for the people on board, but that is one of the things Alf Baird has suggested we do not need. Do you disagree with that?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Dr Baird, will you say more on your suggestion that we could use the hulls as they are but redesign the whole inside to have more cars and less seating?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
How realistic is it to completely redesign the inside of the ship along the lines that you suggest? One of the big problems that we learned about last week is that the ships were being built but there was no overall design. Stuff was built and then had to be ripped out because...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
On a completely different tack, what is your view on the nationalisation of the Ferguson Marine shipyard and its future role in providing new vessels for Scotland’s ferry companies?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
29 Jan 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Dr Baird and Roy Pedersen have both stated that, unless we reassess the type of ship that will be delivered for Scotland’s ferry service, we will go down completely the wrong route, and that, if Ferguson Marine is to survive in the long term, it has to recognise that point, as...
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
On physical capacity, we heard in previous evidence that there was not enough room on the dockside to build two ships side by side. Was that something that you reflected on? Do you agree with the evidence we heard that that made it difficult to move around the site, because th...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You are recorded as having advised the cabinet secretary, Derek Mackay, that Transport Scotland should assume responsibility for the delivery of hull 801 and should involve CalMac Ferries in decisions on the programme and delivered capability. Why did you recommend that?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Were there other aspects of the design of the ships that CalMac did not want, apart from the LNG issue?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I will follow up on that. The programme review board report maintains that there was no effective system in place to manage design changes. Basically, it says that although design changes were coming down the line, FMEL could not manage that and make it a success. The report—a...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I have a very specific and important question. How come the bulbous bow on MV Glen Sannox is now seen to be completely wrong and needing to be removed and replaced? How did that happen?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Is the design of the bulbous bow all about how efficient the ship is and how well it goes through the water? Is that what the bulbous bow is all about?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
05 Feb 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
So you were prepared to bear the cost of a new fitting—
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You said that you agreed the basic specification for the two ships. Did you agree that they needed 1,000 seats?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
So you are saying that, at some point in the yearly timetable, you require that number of seats on those two ferries. We have heard in evidence that on neither of those two routes has the number of passengers ever been anywhere near 1,000, so why build a ship to that specifica...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I have a small follow-up question on the LNG story. We have been told that the ferries cannot run on LNG when they are coming into or going out of harbour. Is that correct?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
On a short route with only a half-hour crossing, it is not a small part of the trip. Coming in and out of harbour is quite a big part of a 30-minute crossing, which the ships will undoubtedly be making at times. In those circumstances, is the ability to use LNG worth the extra...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
In your written evidence, you state: “In 2012 … Transport Scotland agreed an investment plan to build two new vessels, one to replace MV Isle of Arran and one to replace MV Isle of Mull.” What input did you and CMAL have in the decision to build two large ferries? Were other...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You speak about frequency and resilience. To my mind, two smaller ships would give you better frequency and better resilience. Why was that option not taken forward? We know now that it would have been much cheaper—maybe you did not know that then, but you certainly know it now.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We have heard—as I alluded to—that, although you consult the island communities, you basically ignore their wishes once you have done the consultation. We have often heard that their wishes are for two smaller vessels rather than one large vessel. What cognisance do you take o...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I want to come in on that point. The bigger ships are much taller and take a much bigger hold of the wind, so they are more difficult to dock in windy conditions than two smaller vessels would be. The figures tell us that the resilience of your services in poor weather is decr...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Gentlemen, the addition of the two new ferries will require significant upgrades to port infrastructure. Do you reckon that that represents good value for money? How could the requirement for such port upgrades be avoided when vessels are procured in future?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
If you had invested in smaller ships—to go back to my previous point—the existing infrastructure would be quite suitable.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Until last night, the committee had no idea who the other bidders were. We now know the names of the unsuccessful bidders. That is useful. However, there are no figures attached to those bids. We have no idea, for instance, who made the cheapest bid. We know that the dearest b...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
So you do not have that information.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Obviously, CMAL would have it. I will go a wee bit off track, just for a second. Some of the other information that we have received indicates that it would be best for at least one of the ships—probably 802, as it is further from completion—to be scrapped and work on it star...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Does Fran Pacitti have any thoughts on that?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Are you sure that that is correct? Having seen 802, I am aware that it is a long way from being completed. We have heard evidence that it would be possible to scrap it and to build a standard vessel of a proven design that has been built many times before just as quickly as fi...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
04 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Luke van Beek stated that arbitration was the most cost-effective way to deliver the ferries and secure the future of the Ferguson Marine shipyard. Do you agree with his view?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
My question is this: do you agree with the islanders’ summation of what you are delivering for them?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Would you disagree with the assertion that a big, tall ship is more difficult to manoeuvre in high-wind situations? Your reliability in such situations is becoming poorer as time goes on. What is the reason for that?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Former managers of FMEL told the committee that CMAL audited the yard annually and found it to be performing to a very high standard. Can you outline what that audit process involved and how those audit findings are compatible with the claimed substantial failures of Ferguson ...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I am amazed by that response. Surely the auditing process of the yard should be much more robust. You awarded a £100 million contract to a yard, and you say that the audit is all superficial.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You say that there is a robust audit system. If there is, why did it not flag up the fact that—as appears to be the case—the yard was not capable of building those ships?
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
In your written evidence, you stated that the “limitations of space to fabricate hulls 801 and 802 alongside one another seems the most obvious reason” for Ferguson’s predicament. You also stated—and you have already told us today—that Ferguson’s was granted a longer period ...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
So the plan was to launch 801 long before the stage when it was finally launched—although that launch was pretty superficial as well; the windows in the superstructure were just painted on.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
The plan was to launch that hull much earlier, and then to start building 802.
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I want to follow up on the issue of the breakdown in relationships. We heard that it got so bad that CMAL and FMEL could not sit in the same room together, although you have said that it might not have been quite that bad. We also heard evidence to the effect that Jim McColl ...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You were the chairman of the board during that period—
Peter Chapman Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I am sorry—that was my mistake. As chief executive during that period, you can categorically state that no threat was made that the board would resign.
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con Committee
11 Mar 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I want to explore that issue a wee bit more. You say that you consult widely with the island communities. The message that we get from the island communities is that you consult but you ignore what they say. On many occasions, the island communities have said that, rather than...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
26 Aug 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
There is a feeling on the islands that the needs and wishes of the people there are being ignored in this process. We heard from many groups that the preferred option of the islanders was for two smaller vessels, which would have given increased capacity, flexibility and frequ...
Peter Chapman Con Committee
26 Aug 2020
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I wanted to get into this a wee bit. It is well known—we had lots of evidence on this—that the relationship between CMAL and FMEL basically collapsed. In the latter stages, people from CMAL and FMEL were almost unable to be in the same room. However, we heard that Jim McColl i...
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Committee

Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee 05 February 2020

05 Feb 2020 · S5 · Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
Item of business
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Chapman, Peter Con North East Scotland Watch on SPTV
We have heard evidence from the turnaround director, Tim Hair, and we have looked at the review board report. I am sure that you are aware that the report is very critical of management at Ferguson Marine. It says that FMEL did not maintain adequate project plans or records management systems; that Ferguson Marine exercised a lack of management control over design and construction subcontractors; that there was poor storage of materials and poor stock control; and that there was only ad hoc control of engineering change. Those are just some of the criticisms in the report. Will you give us your thoughts on the report and whether it is accurate?

In the same item of business

The Convener (Edward Mountain) Con
Good morning and welcome to the fifth meeting in 2020 of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee. I ask everyone to ensure that their mobile phones are ...
Luke van Beek (Former Independent Adviser to the Scottish Government on Shipbuilding)
Of course. Good morning. I was taken on by the directorate of economic development to provide assurance that the revised shipbuilding programme was being kep...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green) Green
Good morning, Mr van Beek. Thank you for providing that background. In your view, did Ferguson Marine have access to the physical capacity, workforce and te...
Luke van Beek
When I first assessed the yard against that question—you should bear in mind that I did not start what I was doing until June 2018—I was in no doubt that it ...
The Convener Con
We will get on to that issue later.
John Finnie Green
Yes, I was going to say that colleagues have a number of questions on that. Could you clarify something for me? You said that in June 2018 “resources were ...
Luke van Beek
I make it clear that the plan was rebaselined in May 2018.
John Finnie Green
For the avoidance of doubt, will you say which plan that is, please?
Luke van Beek
The plan for building the two ships. The shipbuilding plan was rebaselined in May 2018. The first thing that I was involved in was assessing that plan again...
John Finnie Green
There were three elements to my original question: physical capacity, workforce and technical expertise. Were the deficiencies in the technical expertise res...
Luke van Beek
I suppose that the answer is yes, in the loosest sense, because there were not enough people. In particular, FMEL was short of two ship managers, who were re...
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD) LD
The plan was rebaselined 18 months ago, but we were two and a half years into the project at that point. I am more interested in the procurement process. W...
Luke van Beek
That was not done by me at that time. 10:00 It is interesting, and perhaps I could expand a little here. I had no involvement before May 2018, but my ini...
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
On physical capacity, we heard in previous evidence that there was not enough room on the dockside to build two ships side by side. Was that something that y...
Luke van Beek
By the time I was involved, we had one ship on the slipway and one ship in the water. I cannot really answer that question. In the situation that I saw when ...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con) Con
I have a background question. You mentioned various Government departments. Why were you instructed by the directorate of economic development rather than Tr...
Luke van Beek
As I said, the initial approach from the Scottish Government came from Transport Scotland, but that was in the context of carrying out a gateway review. Subs...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP
I want to explore, rather narrowly, some of the project management, because you are clearly in a position to make some observations about that. I have run pr...
Luke van Beek
Not really. The problems that occurred around the time when I wrote that report were well understood by the yard. The yard’s project management system had sh...
Stewart Stevenson SNP
You wrote, “This sequence is currently broken”, which I take to mean that, in the context of the Gantt chart and the work breakdown structure that one woul...
Luke van Beek
Yes.
Stewart Stevenson SNP
Therefore, predecessor activities that needed to be completed before a move to subsequent activities had not been completed. Although the plan might reflect ...
Luke van Beek
At that time, yes.
Stewart Stevenson SNP
There are no simple answers, and I do not want to simplify. However, all that suggests that some of the reworks that we might now face stem from that deviati...
Luke van Beek
I am not in a position to comment on that, because I do not know what the situation is today. However, I certainly agree with you that there had to be remedi...
Stewart Stevenson SNP
An issue that seems to have emerged is the use of technical solutions that were deviations from the contract, in particular Axilock joints in the engine room...
Luke van Beek
I do not know the answer to that, because it was not part of my remit to check that sort of thing.
The Convener Con
Colin Smyth has some questions—sorry, I see that Mike Rumbles has a follow-up question. Do not look aggrieved, Mike; if I had seen you sooner, I would have b...
Mike Rumbles LD
Thank you, convener. Mr van Beek, how do you justify your conclusion that Ferguson Marine was a competent and well-managed shipyard, particularly in light o...
Luke van Beek
I have read the report.