 fiasco yn y bulletin, dwi'n deitio, ac rwy'n dewch yn y bach yn hyfforddiadau'r flynyddoedd yn ff Byrdd i'n lle i amddangos dwi fferydd i fferyd i'r frefaf y対nd i'ch gweithio. Maewn i ddigon i'n dweudrwyddol â ddefnyddio'n tim hwnnw i ddebyg fferydd. Felly, yn ddigon i ddim yn gwasanaeth, dwi ddebyg yr hynny i gyd o ddiwedd yn ei fferydd. Focdd gan gondol, mae Gwyddon yn fwy oedd y senglo sydd wedi bod...) o'r cwntrach i ffyris 801 o'r 802 o FML o ddafod o'r ddechrau i'r newid o gyfodol i'r ddechrau i'r ddechrau i'r ddechrau er mwynhau o'r cyfodol wedi'u byd yn ddod o ddwygen, oherwydd mae'n gael i ddweud o'r gyferu Llywodraethau yr yw unrhyw fwhel yma i'i wisi am y cynnade yr unrhyw chatvern. Os yn yr h Bryn Lhireu, ddiddur nu'r gwrdd ma swydd, hisdpoleait supersu y chynedd lleisiau ddelwynt o ran gweithio i gyhoeddr hefyd. Mertha bron my directa yn全wch i'n derta whether rajwch ar hon t'w hayr sydd agynnal a phydd. Felly mae'na ddwyllach o'r Robert Madeline yn fawr yn ei dweud, pe i ngraffid cyffredd iawn nieis ei chrodwch. Ond mae'n zitgywael, i dechrau i ddoddiadau, i ddoddiadau, a i ddoddiadau i ddoddiadiau mewnair. Glocka'r 1. Efallai'r ddoddiadau sydd wedi'i ddim yn gwybod. Oeon yn unrhyw ydw i ddim yn ddoddiadau â ddoddiadau mewn Mr Brown, mae'n ddoddiadau vaennau? Mae'r rai yw yn cymdeithasol yr entityll. Esmeraf adm i ddig router sy'n fynd, ac yn ddau'r ddweud Derek Mackay, sydd wedi'i gael i'r ddechrau, yw'r ddweud y Lloe Minister yw'r transbordd i'r boss i'r Mr Brown. Y gallu ddweud yw Derek wedi'u gael i Keith, wedi'i gael i John, wedi'u gael i'r chex, wedi'u gael i'r neidio i'r Nicola, yn proposteros. Yn ystod, mae'n gael i'r anonwys i'r smpu ymddangod. Derek, Keith, John a Nicola, mae'n ffordd i'r ffordd, ond mae'n gweithio'n gwagiaeth yn ffwrdd yn ysgolig. Mae'n brolyg a ffwrdd ffyrdd yn cyfnodig, rwy'n cyfrifiad y SNP yn eu wneud yn ddiwrs. Rwy'n rhoi'n credu y llawd, yn yr arddangos, fel mae'n hyn. Nicola Sturgeon yn ddigon i'r gweithio'n gwaith o'r llawd, obey that yard could've continued if it's not given that ill-fated contract. There's no reason to think otherwise. Does the member know of any business that would exist without work being given to it? The yard had work… the yard had work me. That is a fact.我想 I believe that Jim McCall believes that it could have continued. You could be pretty certain that the Yard won't take on anything on this scale again, whatever the future holds, and we don't know what the future holds for the Yard, because the Government can't make its mind up. I will take an invention from Mr McKee, because he never gives us any answers to the questions. Indeed, I do, as the member knows fine well. If the member is so sure that there was work in the Yard, can he please specify what that work was? There was work at the Yard, there was work at the Yard, they had work and they could have taken on more work. The debate has moved on a little since we last discussed this in Parliament. I've got to be fair about this. We've discovered, for instance, that the AFML deal may have breached European state aid rules, because the Government didn't tell the EU about a £106 million incentive to ensure that the work went to Ferguson's. We know that figures like the hugely respected Jim Sillers, as well as former First Minister Jack McConnell, believe that the failure to come clean on the decision-making process may have broken the law on several fronts. We also know that only one in five Scots think the SNP are doing a good job of running ferry services. Those people need to get out more if they think that, because most don't share that view. There's another thing we've discovered, too. Stuart Hosey thinks ferries 801 and 802 are a little late, and that money has not been wasted. Five years and more than two and a half times over budget sounds more than a little late, and it certainly sounds like waste to me. It's that sort of attitude that has got us where we are. I won't take any more interventions. It's little wonder that the good people of Arran elected a Conservative councillor, Timothy Billings, last week. Islanders like those on Arran are the most important people in all this. They're the ones that can't get to hospital, can't get to work, can't get deliveries, can't see family and friends, or can't get to school in some cases, and all because we have an ageing and unreliable fleet on the west coast with no clear plan on renewing vessels. Doesn't matter to Islanders who runs the ferries or where they're built, they just want them to be there. Our motion mentions the 15-stage payments that were agreed for each vessel. It could actually be more than that. It also talks about the lack of engagement with the experienced workforce. Edward Mountain will have much more to say about that. I've been calling for the Transport Minister to release the Project Neptune report. It will lead to believe that this will set out options for how we might procure and run ferries. Jenny Gilruth said that she couldn't release it during the council election campaign. That reason doesn't exist now, so she should publish it this week. Only then can we start to have a sensible conversation on this, because that's what we need to have. We should not get bogged down in ideology. We should listen to the voice of Islanders, such as the Mull and Iona ferry committee. They've been making some very good points about vessel design and how we should look at potentially breaking up the west coast contract into smaller chunks, which is not, as some believe, privatisation. We will support the Labour amendment today in the name of my good friend Neil Bibby. Unfortunately, the amendment in the name of my other very good friend Jenny Gilruth is, I'm afraid, devoid of hope, and we can't support it. She should speak to me next time, and I can send her some of my positivity, because that is what the Islanders of Scotland are looking out for, and it's not what they're getting. Thank you, Mr Simpson. I now call on Jenny Gilruth Minister to speak to and move amendment 4319.2, up to six minutes, please, Minister. Well, talking to that positivity that Mr Simpson was seeking, I have some good news to share with Parliament. Indeed, I have that good news literally here in my hand. The missing document has been found. Ministers were advised of this by officials shortly before noon today, and I wanted to take the first available opportunity to give Parliament this news. The document is an email that makes clear who approved the decision to award the contract to build vessels 801 and 802 to Ferguson's shipyard. Sent in response to the key submission on 8 October 2015, it is dated 9 October at 1432, and it reads, The minister is content with the proposals, and we'd like them to be moved on as quickly as possible, please. The email was sent by the Office of the Minister of Transport and Islands. I hold in my hand that irrefutable documentary evidence that this decision was made rightly and properly by the then Transport Minister, Derek Mackay. I'd like to make some progress. We said that we would continue to look in good faith, and we have. That is exactly what we have done. It was found because a copy of an email chain had been retained by someone in the Scottish Government finance department, because the then finance secretary was briefed on the decision. By chance, a copy of that email chain between two officials who left Government some years ago includes the email from the Transport Minister's private office and was buried in someone's electronic files. The email confirms what we said it would say. It is basically one line long, because that is how the system of Government works. This documentation has been provided to the Auditor General, and it is now being published alongside all the other documents that we have already published relating to this matter on the Government's website. I'd like to make some progress, but the email destroys the Opposition's ridiculous conspiracy theories that another minister made that decision, and it destroys her unfounded speculation that there was a ministerial direction given. I welcome the opportunity to discuss ferry issues again today. Our ferry network, I will. What the email just read out does not say is why the decision was taken and why the advice not to award that contract was ignored, nor does it say whether there were discussions between Mr Mackay and Mr Brown and Mr Swinney and Mr Sturgeon. The decision to award the contract, the information that pertains to this, that Mr Simpson is searching for, has already been published. He has had answers to numerous topical questions. The First Minister has answered numerous questions on this issue. The Opposition has to give up. It has an answer here today. If the Opposition does not take my word for it, it needs to listen to the words of the voters on our island communities. They are the ones who want to see progress on this. They are the ones who deserve a solution. Our ferry network, as we all know, is as intrinsic to those who live on our mainland, as roads might be to the rest of us. They are islanders motorways, as I was told recently by the Shetland-Holiers Association. The Government has got to get to improving how we deliver ferry services, and we have to do that correctly. Mr Simpson knows—yes, I will. I thank the minister for giving way and welcome the fact that we are now turning to the subject of ferries away from the conspiracy theories that we have listened to for the last few minutes from the Opposition. As the minister will appreciate, CalMac has, within the past hour, announced that the envy lord of the isles will be out of service from this Tuesday for an estimated eight days due to a technical issue. That leaves Loch Boyzill once again without a service to the mainland for a prolonged period of time, adding to the already... Excuse me, Mr... Dr Allan, please resume your seat. Dr Allan is trying to make an intervention. There is too much noise. Please let Dr Allan make the intervention. Thank you. As the minister will be aware, this is not the first period of time when Loch Boyzill has been without a service. She does, I know, from conversations with her, appreciate the frustration caused. Will she commit now to raising this with CalMac as a matter of urgency, with a view to establishing an improvement plan specifically for Maliag to help with dealing with the... Dr Allan, it should be a brief intervention. I think that the minister probably has the gist in order to respond to that. I thank Mr Allan for his intervention. I became aware of the issues surrounding the Lord of the Isles vessel earlier today. I will be meeting with CalMac later on tonight, who I believe are attending the parliamentary reception, and raising it with him directly. I want to come on now to discuss some of the issues that we faced more recently on the Isle of Arran and how those were resolved productively by CalMac. I think that it is important now, Presiding Officer, that we do move on. We owe it all to our island communities to do better on the debate on ferries. We have got to lift the tone. I was really reminded of that on a call last week with the Arran ferry committee, where we reflected on some of the lessons learned from their recent outage with the MV Callie Isles. Sheila Gilmour, who is the chief executive of Visit Arran, has spoken of the reputational damage that the outage caused, and indeed some news reports that the weekend the outage began incorrectly reported that all routes to Arran were off. I think that we all, irrespective of party in the chamber, must support the return of tourism to our island communities, which of course in 2022 will be absolutely vital to many businesses and to families. Presiding Officer, at cognisant of time, I have already today been absolutely clear that communities are not currently always getting the service that they need. That needs to change, but I would suggest that they do not need the Opposition's very own version of Groundhog Day either. What our island communities need is accurate, fair and well-informed commentary and debate about the challenges, but also the opportunities for their economies and communities. Fairies and resilient transport connectivity is absolutely key to ensuring Scotland's islands thrive and flourish. I am determined all that I can do to make that happen, and everyone in the Scottish Government is determined to make that happen additionally. I hope that the Opposition will join me in that endeavour. I move the amendment in my name. I now call Neil Bibby to speak to and move amendment 4319.1. I welcome the debate brought forward by Graham Simpson this afternoon. Today, Scottish Labour is making a further call for full openness and transparency to get to the bottom of Scotland's ferry fiasco. A parliamentary committee has already branded the procurement of vessels 801 and 802 as a catastrophic failure, or that Scotland outlined a multitude of failings leading to delays of four years and a procurement budget that is now two and a half times the original contract price. We still do not have clear answers about what went wrong and, crucially, why. That is not acceptable. If the concerns of the workforce at Ferguson's had been addressed sooner, perhaps the yard would be in a better position now. One of the biggest failures in public procurement of the past 20 years could have been avoided. There are conflicting accounts about how we ended up where we are today. The First Minister rightly asks us to treat the accounts of Jim McCall and the previous owners with caution. They are not, as she said in the chamber, an uninterested party. That is correct, but neither is the Scottish Government. Those are ferries procured on their behalf by female. As I have said repeatedly, the First Minister is ultimately responsible for the Scottish Government. We believe that she should assume direct ministerial responsibility for the Government's investments at Ferguson's for putting this yard on a stronger footing and for ensuring full transparency about all that has got wrong. Audit Scotland said that there was insufficient documentary evidence to explain why the contract for those ferries was issued without a full refund guarantee. That remains astonishing and clearly requires further investigation. The minister quotes an email today that nobody in this chamber has seen before now. We still do not know the fact that the minister has not seen it before today to his own office. It should not be a sedentary conversation because it is not necessarily picked up in the first report. The fact that the transport minister has only unearthed emails today about the ferries fiasco begs the question what else is there that the Scottish Government has not found in the archives. We need to know crucially why the Scottish Government ignored the advice of SEMA and there is no documentary evidence. Audit Scotland has said that, and this Parliament has still not seen any documentary evidence that proves why the Scottish Government ignored the advice of SEMA. On the issue of fullness and openness and transparency, a number of senior staff at Ferguson's yard signed non-disclosure agreements. I note the First Minister's remarks at First Minister's questions, so let me see clearly that non-disclosure requirements should not prevent anyone from giving full and accurate evidence to Audit Scotland, but also to anybody legitimately investigating the failures of Ferguson's or to this Parliament. This is the purpose and I welcome confirmation from the cabinet secretary whether she will support Labour's amendment for those non-disclosure agreements to be waived. Will you be supporting our amendment? I would be quite keen to know whether Labour actually supports the workers at Ferguson's because the GMB has absolutely blasted Labour for using Ferguson's workers as a political football, eroding morale and undermining efforts to save the yard on a long-term basis. Is the member proud of his efforts in that regard? I respect what the GMB has to say. I would always expect the GMB to stand up for their members. Stuart McMillan, the local MSP, has said that the workforce at Ferguson's are embarrassed. They should not be embarrassed if they are blameless in this. The people that should be embarrassed are the Scottish Government who have overseen this fiasco. On the issue of the GMB, the Scottish Government can't selectively quote about what the GMB says and does on particular issues. The union, as well as Scottish Labour, has continuously made constructive suggestions about building simpler ferries, and that has fallen on deaf ears. We have made constructive suggestions on building those ferries in Scotland and not in Turkey to predict Scottish Dirk building jobs, and that is something that has fallen on deaf ears as well. The purpose of our amendment today, and I hope that every member in the chamber will support it—we will wait and see what the Government is going to do on it—is vital to ensure that all non-disclosure agreements relating to the procurement of those ferries are waived. Non-disclosure agreements should not prevent anyone from making legitimate inquiries. We need openness and transparency. We cannot afford secrecy and cover-up, so a vote for our amendment is a vote for openness and transparency, and a vote against would be a vote for secrecy and cover-up. The scrutiny of decisions taken over the past several years is necessary and unavoidable. A catastrophic failure in procurement of this kind must not happen again. Lessons need to be learned. Let me be clear again, the skilled workers at Ferguson's are not to blame for these delays. The damage that this Government has done to the reputation of the yard damages the potential of Scottish shipbuilding, not the legitimate inquiries of auditors and of this Parliament. We owe it to the workforce to turn this around, get new contracts into the yard and get this sector of the economy firing on all cylinders again. I represent the lower Clyde, I represent many of the workers, I stand behind all of those who want to breathe new life into this industry. That is why I am again calling for a national ferry building replacement programme that supports the sector. Scottish Labour's ambition is to modernise the Camlack fleet, new ferries with the lower Clyde building its fair share will bring resilience to our ferry network and create new opportunities for the workforce. Those ferries do not need to be complex, new designs like the dual fuel ferries at Ferguson's now. Simpler contracts for simpler ferries do not need to go overseas to places like Turkey. We can create a pipeline of work that will see the lower Clyde getting its fair share. It just takes leadership from this Government. Mr Bibby, you will need to bring your marks, please. Presiding Officer, there must be openness and transparency. That also applies to the Project Neptune report. That must be published without delay. I reiterate that the Calomack network must be retained as a public service servicing the interests of the travelling public. There must be full disclosure. Mr Bibby, please move the amendment in your name and close. I turn this year around and move the amendment in my name. Thank you, Mr Bibby. I now call in Willie Rennie. Up to four minutes, please. The minister, obviously, thinks that she has demolished all the arguments. I have to say her revelation today. I was expected to believe that she had just discovered the email this morning for a start, which is very difficult to believe, bearing mind the track record of this Government on openness. However, she is expected to believe that a multimillion-pound contract was given the go-ahead on the basis of a one-line email. For me, that does not fill me with confidence. Certainly, it does not explain why the central advice was ignored by the minister. He would have expected for a multimillion-pound contract to have been set out why that advice had been ignored. I am going to try to explain my argument. Also, it shows a Government that is very poor at keeping records for something that is such a multi-million-pound contract. It also costs lots of money, but, in addition to that, where islanders, as we now know, are dependent on the success of those contracts. I do not think that it fills this chamber with confidence, as you can hear from the laughter that the minister claims this afternoon. However, I think that it will raise an awful lot more questions. I want to see the email, I want to see the background to the email, and I want to see the paperwork that goes with it. I simply do not believe that, at the last minute, just happens to me before a debate, we have a slam dunk argument from the minister. There is an element, I have to say now, of comical alley about the SNP and their approach to this. As the bombs are raining down around them, the denial continues. We heard that from Stuart Hosey yesterday, as Graham Simpson has already set out that it is a little bit late—four years and longer, we are certain—that it is not a waste of £150 million, £150 million over budget. Tell that to the islanders who are waiting, yet again, when their ferries have broken down on multiple islands. Tell that to the families freezing at home because they cannot afford to pay their electricity bill. They put £10 million into the fuel insecurity fund. Just imagine how much of a difference we could make if we added another £150 million into that fuel insecurity budget. However, for the SNP, it does not matter. It is not a waste, and it is a little bit late. They need to accept that they have made some fundamental errors with this, and it is another direct impact on people's lives right now, rather than keeping on their denial and revealing emails at the last minute before debates. That is not the way to run a Government, and it is a sign of a Government that is getting increasingly arrogant in its approach to administration. We need another debate, because Graham Simpson was right that he had debates before, and we have had a debate in this chamber, too. We have still not got those critical answers, including on the project Neptune. However, the most important thing for me is the way that this Government has crashed the reputation of a very good yard that has now meant that it is not even bidding for ferry contracts that are going off to Turkey instead. Do not blame anyone else, do not blame the opposition for the reputation being trashed, because the responsibility is held on those front benches and all the back benches behind them who back them every single day. The reputation has been trashed, just like BiFab, just like the £10 billion China deal, just like Lochaber, just like Tata and the Lanarkshire steel mills, where the state-aid rules have not, I am running out of time. The reputation has been trashed by this Government. Do not dare blame anyone else for that. The responsibility is with those ministers and no one else. Members are meant to treat others with courtesy and respect. The First Minister has revealed an email to the chamber this afternoon that nobody else has seen in this chamber. It is absolutely unacceptable that the minister is treating the Parliament and members with contempt. Where is the email? We have not been sent it. No one has seen it. This is utterly unacceptable and disrespectful to the Parliament and the way that this Government is behaving. I thank the member for his point of order. I, too, was unaware of this development. I think that it is something that will be reflected upon and a response will be given later this afternoon to the member if that is acceptable. We now move to the open debate. I call Donald Cameron to be followed by Paul MacLennan. It is speeches of up to four minutes please and there is very little time in hand. Since I was elected to this Parliament six years ago, the fragility and unreliability of Scotland's ferry network has undoubtedly been one of the most serious local issues that I have dealt with. When we last debated this issue, I spoke of the people and communities who rely, depend even, on a robust ferry service. They are at their wits end as they continue to live with a substandard service that provides little in the way of comfort or certainty. As others have said just 30 minutes ago, an email from CalMac says that the MV Law of the Isles is out of service for a pair's eight days' suspension. It does not end. To Alasdair Allen, I say this. It is his SNP Government that has presided over this chaos. We do not hear enough about the livelihoods of the thousands of islanders who suffer from this. What about their jobs, their lives? As Graham Simpson noted in his remarks, let us listen to the island communities. Last week, Aaron elected a Scottish Conservative councillor. Butte elected the first Scottish Conservative councillor there in some 40 years, and Sky elected a Scottish Conservative councillor for the first time ever. The fact is, people are starting to notice when it comes to ferries who are standing up for them and who are letting them down. The problems surrounding our network have been known to the Government, and yet no meaningful action has been taken. We know that the contract to build two vital ferries was handed to Ferguson Marine against the explicit advice of SEMAW, a subject that I will come back to. We know that ministers ignored that advice and pressed ahead anyway. We do not know why, as others have said. We know what it is Scotland's view. Their report has been much quoted, but it bears repeating. They said that significant financial and procurement risks associated with the deal and the weakness in Ferguson Marine's project governance were to be noted. The Auditor General said that the failure to deliver those two ferries on time and on budget exposes a multitude of failings, a lack of transparent decision making, a lack of project oversight and no clear understanding of what significant sums of money have achieved. Crucially, communities still do not have the lifeline ferries that they were promised years ago. Absolutely damning words from our national independent scrutiny body. We know that, all the while, those ferries still remain in dock over £150 million of a budget, severely delayed, with no realistic end in sight and never ending despair felt by our island communities. Can I focus briefly on some email exchanges from 2015 between Eric Ostegard, chair of SEMAW and Tom Docherty, chief executive of SEMAW, about the deal with Ferguson Marine? Their advice could not be clearer. One email from Mr Ostegard said that there is no way that the board can recommend the Scottish Government through SEMAW to take this level of unsecured risk on its shoulders. There is no way that the board can recommend the Scottish Government through SEMAW to take this level of unsecured risk on its shoulders. SEMAW, the very body task of procuring ferries for Scotland, the very body whose reason for existence is to own, buy and sell ferries saying in the plainest possible language, do not do this. And yet, despite all of this, despite all of these justified concerns from their in-house experts, the Scottish Government pressed ahead and we do not know why. It stinks to high heaven, Deputy Presiding Officer. It is a scam. As a result, our local communities are suffering and will continue to suffer because of this staggering ineptitude. While it won't fix the damage that has been done, the SNP Government has to apologise to people who rely on these services and now tell us who is responsible for this mess and who will go as a result of this shambles. Thank you, Mr Cameron. I now call Paul McLennan to be followed by everyone mountain and speeches of up to four minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thanks for the opportunity to speak in this debate this afternoon. I am aware how important ferries are to the communities that serve and what it means to the economy in general and the wellbeing of such communities. However, we also have to acknowledge that £2 billion has been invested in service contracts, new vessels and infrastructure since 2007 and in the current five-year period of further £580 million has been committed. The Scottish Government commitment to publish Ireland's connectivity plan by the end of 2022 is, of course, welcome and I have no doubt will be discussed in this chamber. As we know, the Ireland's connectivity plan will replace the current ferries plan, looking at aviation, ferries in fixed link, invest more sustainable ferries and ensure that 30 per cent of state-owned ferries are low-emission by 2032. I have only got four minutes on a lot to go through. The Ireland connectivity plan will be taken forward through the national strategic strategy and strategic transport projects review. That will enable us to consider other potential viable options connecting the islands. As I said, Ireland's connectivity plan will replace the ferries plan by the end of 2022 and engagement in consultation on this will enable substantial public and community input. That is quite right. The Scottish Government plans to explore potential to build more fixed links to island and remote communities and work with island communities to reduce reliance on ferries. That needs to be part of the consultation process. Investment in a ferry fleet can come with benefits for industry. The Scottish Government's intervention in 2019 saved the ferries in the yard and its workforce. I have only got four minutes and we are pressed for time. Could Mr McLean take a seat, please? I would remind members of the rule. It is really up to members whether they wish to take an intervention or not. Mr McLean. That does not mean that I do not take an interest in the subjects, so do not be patronising. Mr McLean, please resume your seat a second. I appreciate that feelings are running high in this debate, but we have a juicy of courtesy and respect right across the chamber. Please resume. I want to focus on the point about the ferries in the workforce. Let us not forget the workforce of the ferries in the yard that has hardly been touched on in this debate. Hundreds of families rely on the yard for their wellbeing and welfare. Let us not start to imagine that the impact on local communities would be a being had the yard of closed. By all means, let us scrutinise decisions, but do not forget the workforce. Progress has been made at the yard, but we need to ensure that the ferries in the marine is back to being a sales contender for future vessel contracts. However, we must ensure that delivery is best we can when it comes to lifeline services for our island communities. The Scottish Government means fully committed to supporting the ferries in the yard to support a sustainable future, including a pipeline of future work. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the yard to ensure that it becomes globally competitive. The decision to take and safeguard the future of Fergus marine was the right decision. The Scottish Government has set two priorities for the yard's management, to finish building the two ferries that are coming under construction, and to get the yard back into shape to compete for new work. The Scottish Government ministers will do all they can to ensure a strong future for Ferguson. The Scottish Government remains open to feedback regarding areas for improvement going forward and has committed to reviewing the local legal structures and governance arrangements that exist between the tripartite group of Transport Scotland, Seaman and, of course, CalMac that remain fit for purpose to deliver an effective, efficient and economic ferry service. The Scottish Government is also developing a revised ferry stakeholder engagement strategy. The strategy will set out an approach to engagement on three operational issues, strategy and policy. The Scottish Government is also pledging to consult on the evolution of the first policy, including the freight plan as part of the island's connectivity plan. The infrastructure investment plan for Scotland 2021-22-26 will produce and maintain a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development airports to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and, of course, accessibility and reduce emissions to meet the island needs of island communities. In conclusion, it has been a tough year for island communities. There is no doubt about that. Lessons need to be learned, our island communities need to be fully assured, they need to be fully consulted and we need a thriving shipbuilding industry in Scotland. The ferries crisis is not merely a catastrophic failure, it is the biggest and most expensive scandal of the SNP Government so far. Reports from the Wreck Committee and the Audit Scotland prove that, but huge questions remain. Why did the Scottish ministers go against the advice from their advisers and award a contract to Fergus Marine? Where did the £45 million in loans that was given to Fergus Marine by Derek Macaigo and how can the £2,500 per day pay to Tim Hare be value for money? Is anyone going to take responsibility? Does any minister want to stand up and take responsibility? Obviously not, which is why we need a full public inquiry. Let us look at the milestone payments made to Fergus Marine, which saw the taxpayer hand over 84 per cent of the contract value for two ferries in return for one rusting hull and some spare parts. Initially, there were 15 of those stage payments, but when things started to go wrong at the yard, the Government increased them to 18, allowing the contractor to get more doge earlier. As a surveyor with 15 years of experience, I know that stage payments are agreed with the quantity surveyor needed to sign off each of them. It cannot possibly have happened here. I have submitted freedom of information requests on each milestone payment, what checks were carried out on the hulls and who approved and signed off the payments. Simple enough, questions. There should be a paper trail. Maybe it will turn up miraculously today, but that information should be easy to release. But this secretive Government has delayed answers on every single one of my FOIs in relation to this. What are they hiding? Have they lost these papers as well? When checking the milestone payments, they certainly did not listen to the skilled workforce in the yard. We know for a fact from the union rep, Alex Logan, that the workers knew of the faults, but were required to press ahead with construction based on floor design. Did the Scottish Government ever ask them that they made such noises about it? But no, they did not. They just dished out the doge. Unapproved bulbous boughs for 801, not fit for purpose mooring stations on 801, cables placed up the lift shafts in ferry 801, all triggered payments. They even signed off the payment for launching the vessel, ignoring the fact that it had fake funnels connected to pretendy engines with painted-on windows. This Government went to pay all but one of the milestone payments on 801. Ridiculous, in my mind, when it is clear that it is even half built. Lessons were not learnt when it came to 802 either. Thirteen of the 18 payments were made there, with little more than a keel being laid, which was evidence when the Government took over control. How could this be allowed to happen? Why did the Scottish Government agree to 18-stage payments instead of the industry standard 5? Who signed that off? Perhaps the Government knew at the outset that there was a real problem with cash flow in Ferguson Marines. What other reasons are there for agreeing so many-stage payments? I am sure that it is nothing to do with the fact that Jim McCall had a direct telephone contact with the First Minister, which is a matter of public record. Surely not, but there are no records of those telephone calls, so perhaps we will never know. A shambles, no paperwork, no scrutiny, all of which has cost Scotland in excess of £300 million. Earlier this afternoon, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance asked what other contracts were available. It appears that she does not even know what is going on in her own yard. At the time that the contracts were awarded, there was a fish farm vessel hull 805 Callister Helen that was being built. There was another one called Helen Rice that was on the books. There were three vessels in total because there was a gas vessel, and Petrosa 5— The member is just about to conclude his remark, because the member is over time. The full lid select to be lifted on this dismal affair. Our islanders desperately need these long-delayed ferries, and they deserve answers. This is a shambolic, scandalously organised contract that really does need a public inquiry. I now call Katie Clark, to be followed by Stuart McMillan, up to four minutes. I refer to my entry in the register of members' interests. I address the issues of openness and transparency. In particular, as that affects the issues that were raised in the Audit Scotland report, the Scottish Government has the power to lift non-disclosure agreements. It has been reported that at least one figure was keen to pass on evidence to the Auditor General, but was held back from passing that evidence. Could the Scottish Government confirm that both current and former employees—indeed, any other person covered by a non-disclosure agreement that the Scottish Government has entered into—should not be prevented from speaking out on that issue? It is clear that the management of the project to build hulls 801 and 802 has been shambolic, with bad and politicised decision making, poor appointments and a culture of secrecy. Neither islanders nor the workforce were involved in the decision making and the representation that was made for smaller vessels to be built were ignored. It is vital for all of us and for the taxpayer that we learn the lessons of this procurement process. I believe that the issues of openness and transparency are indeed an issue of principle and that it will be impossible for lessons to be learnt from this fiasco unless there is access both for the public and Parliament to the facts. Six years ago, the First Minister attended the very launch. Since then, we know that the cost has reached two and a half times the vessel's original budget. We know that senior managers have been paid eye-watering sums, and we repeatedly hear about the £2 million that we understand that Tim Hare was paid. It is clear that Scotland needs proper explanations and access to information and documents to enable proper scrutiny to take place. That is what I think this debate should be about, and that is why Labour has put down the amendment to focus on those issues in the debate today. Labour is committed to Ferguson Marine. We are committed to the workforce, we are committed to shipbuilding in Scotland and to investment to rebuild that sector here. None of what has happened in this fiasco is the fault of the workforce, but of poor management and poor political decision making. None of what has happened is the fault of the islanders who rely on those lifeline services but are paying the price of the mistakes that have been made. We now need the Scottish Government to come forward to waive the non-disclosure requirements within those contracts and to come with a long-term plan, including the procurement of ferries in Scotland with an industrial strategy to rebuild our shipbuilding industry as part of a wider green agenda. Hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money have been spent and misspent. We need transparency and we need an undertaking today from the Scottish Government that it will waive the requirements of the non-disclosure agreements so that this Parliament can discover the truth. Also, Mr Rennie spoke about the yard shot in 2014. The yard went into liquidation in 2019. That tells me that there is a problem with that yard for a long period of time. Clearly, the issue of procurement is crucial in any contract and I will come back to the issue of procurement part of the motion that Mr Simpson put down in a moment. The Conservative motion also states and I quote calls for the Scottish Government to say why I awarded the contract for ferries 801 and 802 to ferries and medium engineering limited against advice of its own experts. First of all, those experts—CMAL—are the same experts that the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems have castigated and demonised for the past few years. Now that it suits them, now that it suits the Conservative narrative, it is actually trying to cause the up to CMAL. I think that it is quite obvious that the language to words CMAL has changed since the Audit Scotland report. I generally suggest to MSPs from any party that they should engage with CMAL to learn about their work and also their understanding of what they actually do. CMAL plays an important part across this country but also to Port Glasgow where they are based. I can assure Mr Simpson and his Conservative colleagues that if the Scottish Government had sat on its hands and did nothing in 2019, the yard was closing, the jobs were gone, the vessels would have been told elsewhere and political parties would have been canvassing in new art compartments for last week's council elections where a shipyard once stood. Is Graham Simpson seriously suggesting that the SNP Scottish Government should have sat on its hands as the Labour Lib Dem that Scottish Executive did in 2005 after they awarded the Fisher Protection Vessel to Poland? I am sure that Mr Simpson and other Conservative colleagues would have been ordering the Scottish Government to intervene to save the jobs. However, certainly after some of his earlier comments, we have only four minutes, I am sorry. However, if after Mr Simpson's earlier comments it is apparent that I generally do not believe that the Conservatives actually would have stepped in, that yard would have shut. Intervening saved the jobs and also provided an opportunity for the future. Progress has been made at the yard. There is still some way to go. Operational decisions of which vessel opportunities to pursue are for the Ferguson management team and the board of directors. There is also no doubt that getting the vessels completed, those two vessels 801 and 802 are extremely challenging. Clearly they have been, but let us be clear that those vessels must be delivered as soon as possible. I have said that before in this chamber. There can be no ifs and no buts when it comes to lifeline services for our island communities. The procurement process for vessels 801 and 802 was undertaken thoroughly in good faith and following appropriate due diligence and suggestions to the contrary are incorrect. Only last month MSPs from across this chamber and also the local MP attended the yard. We visited the yard and also everyone had a chance to ask any question they wanted to to the new chief executive and also to the seconde from CMAL. Certainly colleagues from across the chamber did that and it is clear the yard are making progress, but there is still some way to go, as I have stated. I know that it is certainly from the phone calls that I get from the workforce when I talk to them. On the issue of procurement, I still come back to, if the Scottish Conservatives really want to talk about procurement, look at their colleagues in Westminster, look at the shambles that is going on in Westminster, look at the £10.5 billion of their pandemic-related contracts without a competitive tender process in the VIP lane and that companies with the right political connections were 10 times as likely to win those contracts. I will take no lessons from the Tories, whether they are here or from Westminster. Although Aaron has voted for a Tory, thankfully there are 63 fewer Tory councillors and Scotland as of last week. I now call Ayaan Burgess to be followed by Jenny Min to up to four minutes. I am glad for the opportunity to champion the causes of my constituents on an issue that is so vital to island life. It concerns me that debates in this chamber have not moved the conversation on. I know that I have cross-party colleagues who feel the impact of this issue as keenly as I do, having been contacted by constituents from small businesses to school children who have felt the impact of ferry service disruption on their quality of life. During my recent visit to Vambecula and South Uist, almost every conversation that I had on the doorstep reflected that. I strongly feel that we should use our time in this chamber to make progress, present solutions and advance the causes of our constituents. Islanders and Fergus Marine workers alike deserve far better than particular points scoring. Of course, accountability in public spending is also critical. I welcome the robust scrutiny that we have provided in our debates on the matter. I also welcome the Scottish Government's willingness to acknowledge the shortfalls of the past and its commitments to learn from them. I cannot emphasise enough that the next 10 years are vital for the future of our planet and the Scottish Government must take an approach to procurement that centres environmental impact and community wellbeing. We must urgently seek to decarbonise our existing vessels and utilise technology, like Northlink and Orkney Islands Council are doing, reducing emissions through use of a non-shore electricity connector. However, the problem is not just about procurement. To get our ferry services fully functioning, we need a comprehensive, long-term marine infrastructure plan. That should cover ports, harbours, vessels, Scotland and all components of Scotland's marine infrastructure. As part of the plan, we could establish three standard sizes for new vessels so that they can berth at more ports to make it easier for one ferry to substitute for another when it is offline. We must go further to make our ferries a good green transport option for the 21st century. I have only four minutes. The significant investment into the sector must be future-proofed by making our ferries cleaner and greener to run. If ferry operators enjoy the certainty of longer-term contracts, they could seek investment on the back of future ticket sales to procure their vessels without the need for substantial public investment. Fixed links could provide cost-effective long-term solutions to island communities such as Yl and Unst in Shetland, where there is widespread community support. Depopulation is one of the key defining issues for islanders, and ferry services are only one piece of the puzzle. We need to take a holistic approach. We should extend the policy of free bus travel for under-22s to ferries, bringing parity between islands and the mainland in Scotland's public transport offer. We must also improve the interconnectedness between rail and ferry routes that currently can render islands inaccessible. With ScotRail now in public ownership, thanks to the Green Deal with the Scottish Government, it paves the way for a more fully integrated public transport network that works for all. That proposal is in concert with the potential to help a reversing rural depopulation trend, revitalising our communities and making the islands more accessible for those who walk, wheel and cycle. I will finish with that thought. Whenever I speak about ferries in the chamber, committee or the press, I am always humbled by the response of my constituents. They get in touch with ideas, solutions and great initiatives such as fitting electric vehicle charge points on to ferries. From procurement through to manufacture to delivery, we all agree that Scotland needs more reliable greener ferries services. I urge my colleagues to be more like our constituents and to work together on solutions for the future of our ferries services. Do we have any time in hand in this debate for interventions so that we can have a proper debate? I thank Mr Kerr for his contribution. It is entirely up to members whether or not they take, entirely up to members whether or not they choose to take an intervention, and there is no time in hand. The length of the debate, of course, was fixed by the bureau, not by the chair. In relation to the announcement made by the minister earlier about the missing email, the first I have seen of it has been on Twitter. I have just seen it now. That is disrespectful to this Parliament. I thank Mr Simpson for his point of order, as I had indicated to Mr Bibby in his earlier point of order on this general subject. This matter is being currently reflected upon and a report will be provided later to the chamber. I have now seen emails on social media, not been sent directly by the Government. It does appear that the Deputy First Minister had cleared the way for the award. I wonder if the Scottish Government can clarify the Deputy First Minister's role in this, which was not included in the Transport Minister's opening remarks. Mr Bibby, for his further contribution, I have not seen the substance of the document in question, so I cannot comment on that. Obviously, in terms of the substance of documents, the member will have many opportunities to pursue that issue, which is a slightly separate issue from the issue that Mr Bibby first raised with the chair a week while ago. Is it so not in the judgment of the chair of this Parliament that it is the height of disrespect to introduce that document in the way that it has been introduced? Surely that is bordering on contempt of Parliament to treat us in this way. It is a huge disrespect, and surely the Presiding Officer would have a view on that. I thank Mr Kerr for his point of order, as I have already indicated to Mr Bibby in his first point of order and to Mr Simpson in his point of order, and now to Mr Kerr in his point of order. The matter is currently being actively reflected upon and a response will be provided later on this afternoon. I hope that I can move on to the last speaker in the open debate, because obviously time is short. The time is set by the Bureau for this debate, and I would like to hear the full speaking time from the remaining speakers. Ms Minto, up to four minutes please. As I have said before, I am the MSP with the highest number of ferry routes in my constituency and live on an island. I understand the shortcomings of the service and therefore have a bigger stake in its improvements than most sitting in this chamber. As others have said, the Scottish Government has committed £580 million to fund new ferries and port investment in this parliamentary session. That has included the introduction of the MV Loch Frisa being purchased to serve the island of Mull, a welcome addition to the route to helping the island to have a year-round two-boat service, as well as releasing the carousque to support other routes. Two new ferries for Islay have been ordered, which bring an almost 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity reduction emissions and improve the resilience of the wider fleet. I would suggest that there is a clear plan. The new Mull boat, the small vessel replacement programme and new vessels for the Danone, Gwric and Kilcregan triangle. I know that the Scottish Government recognises that ferries are an essential part of Scotland's transport network and the quality of our ferry services impacts on all of us. Engagement and consultation will enable substantial public and community input. I know that my constituents are willing to get involved as this is their lifeline service, and I commend my constituents who want to engage. For example, the Islay ferry group completed sterling work in forming Transport Scotland, CalMac and Semal on the projected ferry demand of the whisky industry, farming and tourism to inform the design of the new ferries as well as on timetable changes. Eleven days, I convened a meeting on Dura linking the Community Council and Development Trust with Transport Scotland, CalMac, Hargyllin but Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. As an island off an island, Dura is not unique in this, but it does give them a slightly more complicated approach to travel. By bringing those key stakeholders into the same room as the Dura folk, we were able to discuss the constraints and issues of their transport services and explore solutions. There are concerns around crew staffing on the Dura route. It is good that those connections have been strengthened here to look into resolutions to ensure that the lifeline service is fit for purpose. The Scottish Government provides funding for local authority ferries such as the Dura ferry, and I am therefore pleased that the transport minister has committed to meet with local authority partners on that. Later this month, I am hosting a public meeting with CalMac on Mull to ensure that islanders have their say on how the ferry situation impacts on their lives. The following day, CalMac and I will meet with the Mull and I own a ferry committee to progress matters raised. Tonight, as has been mentioned before, CalMac management will be in Parliament to speak to MSPs. I hope to see all speakers and perhaps everybody in the chamber here taking part in this debate there. My constituents in Argyllin but are rightly concerned about ferries, but they are looking forward with the SNP. Engaging with stakeholders, seeking solutions, being what islanders are resilient. The SNP in Argyllin but advanced in last week's local government election, increasing its vote share and number of councillors. Meanwhile, the Tory vote share reduced, and in every single seat that has a ferry service, the Tory vote went down. In the spirit of cross-party co-operation, I will let the Scottish Tories into a secret. The main problem that very many of, in my constituency, it is true. The main problem that very many of my constituents face, as do people in every corner of Scotland, is the cost of living prices, the cost of feeding their family and paying their heating bills. Perhaps, instead of grandstanding over ferries, Conservative members here might like instead to have words with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Unless Westminster does something radical to help the ordinary people of Scotland, I am standing up for my constituents. Unless Westminster does something radical to help the ordinary people of Scotland and elsewhere in the British Isles, the cost of living prices will drag on for longer and with far, far greater consequences than the current problems with ferries, which the Scottish Government and the Transport Minister are focused on sorting. We will now move to closing speeches, and I call on Rhoda Grant to wind up on behalf of Scottish Labour. Ms Grant is joining us remotely up to four minutes, Ms Grant. The crux of this debate is that disastrous decisions were made costing the Scottish people hundreds of millions of pounds, cost to our island communities is immeasurable. We suspect that those decisions were made for political reasons, to further the SNP's ambitions rather than to serve our island communities and Scotland's industry. It seems convenient that the Scottish Government has found proof that they can pin the blame on Derek Mackay, who appears to have made that decision when on holiday, without reference to any of his colleagues at beggars belief. Willie Rennie said that the email raises more questions and answers. Given the Scottish Government's secrets, it is convenient that this email came to hand just before this debate. At the cursory glance from the social media, the email states, just finished my call with the DFM. He now understands the background and that Mr Mackay has cleared the proposal, so the way is clear to award. It seems like the Deputy First Minister actually signed off this award. Thankfully, it adds distinct surrounding this fiasco. The minister wants us to move on. Unfortunately, our island communities cannot move on or indeed many cannot move at all. These ferries are not in operation. The Scottish Government appears unable to do anything to help. Alice Goodallan and Donald Cameron pointed out in the debate the breakdown of the Lord of the Isles. However, there is no capacity in the fleet to allow for that repair without disruption. It is simply not good enough. We still have no answer to how they will make up the shortfall of capacity to the US when Uigh Harbour is being adapted to fit in the new ferry if it ever arrives. This is now urgently required, and I hope that the minister will intervene to ensure that capacity is retained throughout this period. We need openness and transparency as to what went wrong. Neil Bibby said that past employees of Ferguson need to be released from their non-disclosure agreements so that we can find out what happened, both in the letting of the contract and what happened thereafter. My colleagues, Neil Bibby and Katie Clark, should not just be released toward Scotland, but to the Parliament and indeed to the public as well. That is their money, their ferries, and they deserve to know what went wrong. The Scottish Government always seeks to shift the blame to Ferguson's, to Kalamag, to Seymal and now to Derek Mackay. However, the blame sits squarely with them. They need to make good their mismanagement and stop letting our island communities down. They have also let Ferguson's down. Instead of protecting jobs, they have put them at risk and they are now procuring ferries for themselves in Turkey. My heart goes out to those who work in Ferguson's. If the Scottish Government had nothing to hide, it would release the workers from the gagging clauses so that we can see what went wrong and where. Failure to do so means that mistakes will continue to be made, a point made by Katie Clark in debate. That is not a failure of the public sector to provide lifeline services. That is a failure of government. The public sector should run lifeline services. Those services should not be run for the profit of multinationals. They must be run for the communities dependent upon them. Therefore, we need full disclosure. Voting for Labour's amendment tonight will provide full disclosure. I apologise for making another point of order. However, the news has leaked out during the course of this debate. Disgracefully, on social media, we now know that John Swinney was involved in the decision. We know that John Swinney was involved in the decision to award the contract to Ferguson's. Should it not be that John Swinney who was involved should be making a statement to this chamber? I thank Mr Simpson for his contribution. The issue that was raised was the issue about the appearance of the document without any awareness on the part of the chamber and including the chair in terms of the same. As to the substance of government documents, that is not a matter for the chair, as the member well knows. It is a matter for the Government, including the Bureau, in terms of discussing any statements that might be appropriate in the chamber. That is not a matter for the chair, I think, as the member knows. I would now like to call Ivan McKee to wind up on behalf of the Scottish Government up to five minutes. I am happy to be closing the debate, which has been an interesting debate. Many members are focused rightly on the importance of ferries to island communities. Those lifeline services are so important. Jenny Minto talked through the work that is on-going by the Scottish Government. It is part of that £580 million investment to support the expansion of the ferry fleet and the progress that has been made, not as fast as we like, but the progress that has been made. On top of that, the £2 billion that has been invested by the Government since 2007 to support ferry services across Scotland is the important thing that matters for island communities. The Scottish Government, as has been made clear in questions and debates in the chamber on many occasions, is absolutely committed to delivering 801 and 802 from ferries. We also recognise from the Audit Scotland report the challenges that are faced. The fact that the Audit Scotland report says that the turnaround of the FNPG is extremely challenging and that FNPG has implemented some significant operational improvements that have been required at the shipyard in recent months. Those challenges are indeed great. The initial report on the state of the yard, December 2019, when the Scottish Government rescued the yard, set out the scale and depth of the business turnaround required to put Ferguson's marine onto a stable footing. Covid, as we know, has slowed the turnaround efforts. The yard has twice had to shut down due to Covid and worked at reduced capacity for many months as a result of the necessary distancing requirements. Despite that huge task, progress has been made. The new permanent chief executive has been in close since February. I speak with him regularly. Cabinet Secretary speaks with him regularly. He brings a fresh vision and a new approach in creating a more collaborative culture, working much more closely with Seymal. Let me be very clear with Parliament that the Government expects the yard as a priority to complete those vessels successfully. At the fastest and most achievable pace, it expects the yard to turn around its operations so that it is competitive, productive and efficient, and it expects the yard to win and secure a further pipeline of work on the basis of its operations. On the point of the new chief executive, the former turnaround director was paid £2,500-plus per day while in post, which the First Minister said was market-right. He is paying the new chief executive, whom he loaded, between £700 and £1,000 per day. Is he three to four times less effective? The First Minister knows how turnaround work should bring in somebody for that initial period of time to do one job and you bring somebody else in to do the permanent job that is falling on from that. If he is working turnaround as I have, then he would understand that that is how the operational aspects are. I want to move on in the brief time that I have available to talk about the other issues. The issue of transparency—we have heard much about that today in the missing document—was made very clear in my answer to topical questions. Other ministers, including the First Minister, made it very clear that, in good faith, we sought that document, looked for it. It was clear from the other documents that have already been published over 200 documents. I want to make some progress—I have only got two minutes left. It was very clear that the decision-making process had been followed correctly. It was also clear from that document that has been found just today that it brought the attention of ministers that the process was followed. Members can see that from the document. In regard to the process of that document, I think that it is right and proper that my colleague Minister for Transport has brought that document at the earliest possible opportunity to this chamber to make members aware and to publish that on the Scottish Government website to make members absolutely aware of that. Opposition members are chasing often, while Goose chases hear that in their conspiracy theories, the important point is that the process has been followed. The document is public, but what is important is that we work very hard, as I have said, with the Yard to deliver those theories. What is also important, and I want to reflect on it, is what Stuart McMillan's contribution, which was hugely significant. Willie Rennie's contribution, which was hugely significant, but for other 180-degree opposite reasons, the Yard is only still open because of the interventions taken by the Scottish Government. Graham Simpson was unable to answer the question what this other mythical work was. The reality is that, without those orders being placed in the Yard, Stuart McMillan rightly said that he would not be here today. That is on the back of the other industrial interventions that this Government has taken to save the Lochaber aluminium smelter, to save the steel works at DL, and on top of the work that we have done to save the jobs at Inverclyde. What matters to the communities, the workers and the people of Scotland is that those businesses stay open, they stay producing, and they stay as part of Scotland's industrial landscape. That is what this Government is committed to, and that is what we have delivered on all those instances. Willie Rennie can talk about what Sifflots and Mabies is. The reality is that, if he has been in government, which he should have been unlikely, those facilities will be closed. We are in government, and that is why they are still open, because we are committed to that industrial base across Scotland. That is what matters at the end of the day, not the conspiracy theories that come up from the Opposition Bench. I have time to take up an intervention from it. Minister, you are just about to conclude. I am sorry, Willie. I am sure that we will have another opportunity to debate that very important point in the not-too-distant future, as we continue to articulate our commitment to Scotland's industrial base and to save those jobs as we have done hundreds of jobs in our claim. Thank you very much. I call Liam Kerr to wind up on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives up to six minutes. Before that, I have a point of order from Edwin Mountain. I cannot let that comment pass from the minister that they have saved the aluminium smelter at Loch Arbor. They have signed a deal without doing proper due diligence on the infrastructure there, which does not save a plant. Mr Mountain, that is not a point of order for the chair. That is not a point of order. I call Liam Kerr to wind up on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives up to six minutes, please, Mr Kerr. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Graham Simpson opened this debate, saying that inexplicably, he was not allowed to call it a ferries fiasco. However, we have heard from member after member this afternoon that that is exactly what this is. It is not simply the facts of the matter that we have heard about. The budget, rocketing from £97 million to £250 million, of taxpayers' money and maybe up to £400 million. The milestone payments made to Ferguson Marine, which saw the taxpayer hand over 84 per cent of the contract value without an actual ship being completed. The fact that workers knew of the faults but were apparently required to press ahead with a construction based on flawed designs. Designs, which we learned recently, may not even have been finalised. The nearly 1,000 electrical cable coils, which are too short in two seconds, Mr McMillan. Apparently, all of that may have even broken EU state aid rules. Thank you, Liam Kerr, for taking the intervention, just on the point regarding the workers and the workers being forced to go and undertake work. Who actually were their managers at that point? Were those managers actually from the previous ownership? Liam Kerr? I go back to the point that was made in response to an intervention earlier. The responsibility for this fiasgo lies firmly at the feet of this Government and nobody else, Mr McMillan, because it is not simply those facts that make this a fiasgo. We have heard powerful testimony this afternoon around the impact on islanders who can't get to hospital, can't get to work, can't get deliveries, can't see family and friends and can't even get to school. And we've heard about the SNP's attitude to this. The minister said, we've got to lift the tone. Oh, ain't that the truth, minister? Whether it be Nicola Sturgeon responding, oh for goodness sake, when asked to apologise to those islanders. Whether it be Stuart Hosey MP denying that money has been wasted, even though it's £150 million over budget and describing the vessels as being a little late. Whether it be the minister herself, in her own anodyne amendment, describing this fiasgo as regrettable and that debating this is groundhog day, or simply Jenny Minto saying that using our debating time for this is grandstanding. But it is not only that which makes this a fiasgo, because what we've heard is exactly what this says about this Government's attitude to governance and security. We heard the minister saying that there are huge numbers of documents in the public domain as if that exonerates them. That somehow releasing volume means we won't notice that the key document is still missing. Well, we did notice. But perhaps more importantly, Audit Scotland noticed and reported that there is insufficient documentary evidence as to why the SNP accepted the risks and approved the contract award. Well, what we do know is that in 2015, Ferguson Marine confirmed that it was unable to provide CMAL with a full refund guarantee. One of the mandatory requirements of the contract. We know CMAL, notified Transport Scotland of its concerns, who in turn notified ministers, who accepted the risks and were content to approve the contract award. Why? We just don't know, because the crucial document saying why doesn't exist, either because it wasn't recorded potentially in breach of the Public Finance and Accountability Act, or it has been misplaced. Lord McConnell summed it up. Someone in the SNP Government has broken the law, either deliberately or through incompetence, which is presumably why Jim Sillis has reported this. He said that some would say a corrupt Government to the police for the crime of misconduct in public office. But it's what it says about wider governance and transparency, because we don't yet know who actually green-lighted it. Sturgeon points at Mackay, then Ysaf points at Brown, then McCall points back at Sturgeon and says that it was done for political gain. Today, the Minister produces a one-line email found three hours before this debate. What a coincidence! Which names Mackay, but accident actually brings in John Swinney. And then, I really don't have time, Edward, I'm afraid. But then, there's no question in my mind says Jim McCall that the decision to overrule Seamall's advice was made by the First Minister along with Derek Mackay. But we know that this is a Government that prefers the shade of secrecy to the sunlight of scrutiny. Leaving aside Willie Rennie's points that a contract of this size apparently is signed off on a one-line email, the project Neptune report remains unpublished, despite promises to do so. Edward Mountain struggles to FOI why ministers went against advice from their own advisers, where the £45 million in loans given to Ferguson Marine by Derek Mackay went, and who approved the milestone payments. And of course, the FOIs about the Scottish Government's Loch Arbor smelter deal were that the minister brought up, were rejected until the FT engaged in a two-year battle to get them to reveal the £600 million taxpayer-funded guarantee. This is hugely serious, as what this debate has shown is a Government that has failed to deliver yet again that thinks this fiasco is merely regrettable and has a track record of secrecy, spin and perhaps shredding. And I note the words of Lord Folx this week when he said, democracy depends on governments being transparent, accountable and honest. So if FOIs are refused, key papers lost or destroyed, parliamentary questions unanswered and ministers lie, democracy is in danger. Presiding Officer, this debate has levelled all of these charges against this Scottish Government. As the Scottish Conservative motion craves, let the shroud of secrecy be swept aside by the light of a public inquiry. And the truth be revealed. Thank you, Mr Kerr. Thank you, Mr Kerr. As indicated earlier, I promised to return to the points of order that I raised about the email. That being, I think, the first point of order for Mr Bibby, the first point of order for Mr Simpson and I believe the second point of order for Mr Kerr. And what I would say is the following, that further to the those points of order about the email that the minister referred to in her opening speech in today's debate, the Minister for Transport told the chamber that officials informed ministers shortly before noon today that an email regarding decisions on ferry procurement had been found. The minister also indicated that this email and other documentation had been published by the Scottish Government on its website. Under the terms of the guidance on announcements, it is open to the Government to use the opportunity of opening speeches in parliamentary debates to make announcements. However, the guidance also states that where an announcement relates to a publication or release of a document, it would be helpful for copies to be made available to the non-Government parties well in advance so as to inform the debate. In this instance, it is clear that advance notice would indeed have been helpful to inform members' contributions to this debate. Hence, I would encourage the Government to reflect on whether its approach to providing non-Government parties with this information by speech rather than in advance was the most appropriate decision. That concludes the debate on ferry problems. It is now time to move on to the next item of business, before which there will be a very short pause to allow change of front-bench teams.