 We move on to the next item of business, which is a debate on motion 3712 in the name of Graham Simpson on Scotland's ferries. I would ask members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request to speak buttons now. I call on Graham Simpson to speak to and move the motion up to 11 minutes, Mr Simpson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. When the former Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee published its report into the construction and procurement of ferries in Scotland in December 2020, it concluded that there had been, quotes, a catastrophic failure in the management of the procurement of vessels 801 and 802, leading it to conclude that these processes and structures are no longer fit for purpose. That was no small claim from a cross-party committee and one that should have made government and all its agencies sit up and take notice. The committee called on the Scottish Government to commission an independent external review of the processes for public procurement of ferries. It did. That report, Project Neptune, has been completed by Ernst and Young and is being sat on by Transport Scotland. Jenny Gilruth promised to publish it when I asked her about it last month, yet Transport Scotland continued to get their way. We demand that it is published in full immediately. The committee also called for Audit Scotland to review the management of that ferries contract and the role played by Transport Scotland. That review has taken place and its conclusions published today are damning. I will start with that, but we will also deal with the wider issues here because at the heart of this, the Scottish Government is letting down islanders and those who need to get to islands. It cannot go on. Today, the Auditor General has been scathing in his criticisms. The report lays bare the shambles of this ferry contract. Ministers will warned not to give the contract to Ferguson's. The cost is two and a half times the original budget with ministers tied into paying whatever it takes. It could go higher. It has today by £8.7 million, which is not a drop in the ocean. There are major failings at the shipyard which still need to be resolved. This report leaves the SNP hold below the water line when it comes to their record on ferries. Stephen Boyle has said this today. He says the failure to deliver these 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 public money have achieved. Crucially, communities still do not have the lifeline ferries that were promised years ago. He goes on. The focus now must be on overcoming significant challenges at the shipyard and completing the vessels as quickly as possible. Thoughts must then turn to learning lessons to prevent a repeat of problems on future new vessel projects and other public sector infrastructure projects. His report says what we know, of course, that the project to deliver two new ferries has been fraught with problems and delays over six years. Vessels 801 and 802 were originally expected to be delivered in May and July 2018, respectively, and they are now almost four years late, and we have heard about a further delay. The total cost of the project is currently estimated to be at least £240 million, confirmed earlier, which is two and a half times the original vessel's budget. There is apparently no limit to the final cost, despite what the cabinet secretary said earlier. According to the report, the Government is committed to paying any extra costs regardless of the final price. Scottish ministers announced Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd, as the preferred bidder for the £97 million fixed price contract to design and build the two vessels in August 2015. Fixed price, if only, but the contract notice for the design, construction and delivery of the vessels was advertised in October 2014. We have been told today that both boats will be delivered next year. Even if that is true, it will have been nearly 10 years in total by the time they take passengers. We have designed and built rockets to take us to the moon and back quicker. The Auditor General says that in September 2015, FML confirmed that it was unable to provide Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, CML, with a full refund guarantee, which was one of the mandatory requirements of the contract. Although CML subsequently negotiated a partial refund guarantee with FML, it remained concerned about the significant financial and procurement risks that it created. CML had the option to reject the bid at this point and told Transport Scotland that it wanted to restart the procurement process. Transport Scotland alerted Scottish Ministers to see MAL's concerns and the risks of awarding the contract to FML. The Auditor General says, quote, there is insufficient documentary evidence to explain why Scottish Ministers accepted the risks and were content to approve the contract award in October 2015. So, CML thought that there were too many risks to award the contract, but this Government thought it knew better why when the Ferguson's bid was the highest, why when the Ferguson's bid was the highest and when the Government's ship-buying arm said no, did Ministers plow ahead? I asked the Cabinet Secretary this earlier but got no answer and I'll take an intervention for taking the intervention. I would say to Mr Gibson that Ministers should be listening to the experts and perhaps if they had, we wouldn't be in this mess. Perhaps if they had, we wouldn't now be ordering ferries from Turkey. Then, no, then there was the £45 million loan to FML. We don't know what good that did. And as things went belly up, the Government decided to nationalise the yard, but they had absolutely no idea what the condition of the boats was when they did, so could also not have predicted how costs would rise. And despite advice from Price Waterhouse Coopers, there was no exit strategy, a bit like Presswick Airport. This is scandalous, and throughout we've had the various parties in this squabbling-like children unable to get on. There's been a string of disasters here, but the latest being the discovery that cables which were fitted on the vessel launched with blackout windows by Nicola Sturgeon in 2017 are now too short. No one has accepted blame for that. No one has accepted blame for anything in this fiasco. Ministers and others, including the highly paid and mis-titled turnaround director, have moved on, but nobody's head has rolled. And this is the problem. There is no accountability, none. Not just in Ferguson's, but in the entire ferry system and especially in government. To get to the bottom of this, we need a public inquiry. There's a telling sentence in the Audit Scotland report. It's this. The two new vessels and subsequent additions and disposals were expected to reduce the average age of sea miles major vessel fleet from 21 years to 12 years by 2025. So how are we doing that? The average age of the Kalmack fleet is 23 years. It's got worse and nobody's head has rolled. We need new ferries and we need to increase the budget for that to catch up. Graham Day reckoned it would take £1.5 billion over 10 years, worth saying £1.4 billion. That would create a pipeline of work that could herald a boost for Scottish shipbuilding. Presiding Officer, this is not some obscure topic. Having an ageing and unreliable ferry fleet affects people's lives. I've been speaking to island campaigners on Aaron Mull and my owner this week. A psychotherapist told me he's dealing with increasing numbers of stressed-out patients. Others have said they've not been able to get hospital appointments because he can't book a car space less than a few weeks in advance. It's also affecting tourism and I've heard of bare shells in shops and I've seen the photographic evidence. Farmers can't get feed and they can't get their animals to market. It goes on. Kids can't get to school. People are thinking of giving up island life altogether under the SNP. I've actually just said that. People are now thinking of giving up island life altogether. That's tragic. I'm going to end with a personal testimony from a lady on an island that I haven't mentioned so far, Cumbrae. She told me we're only an eight minute journey from the mainland and this nearness and our small size results in heavy reliability on the mainland. We do not have the infrastructure on the island that other islands have. Residents require to travel to the mainland for secondary schooling, work, medical, dental, optical and veterinary services as well as supermarket food and petrol. The service in recent months has been the worst in living memory and she says I'm aware of a lady who missed a mastectomy operation due to a sewage issue on the ferry and at least two other ladies that have had their chemotherapy impacted. We need a solution now. I disagree with that lady. We needed a solution long before now. I move the motion in my name. I now call on Jenny Gilruth to speak to and move amendment 3712.2, up to nine minutes, minister. I thank Graham Simpson for securing this important debate on Scotland's ferries. It is a timely one, given the cabinet secretary's statement this afternoon on the Audit Scotland report. It is necessary that I listen as transport minister to the opposition and engage on a collaborative basis on the best way forward. Both Mr Simpson and Mr Bibby know that this is the approach that I'm adopting with regard to the public ownership of Scotland's railways and it will not surprise either that that is the spirit in which I intend to take forward the necessary changes required to build resilience in our ferry fleet and to provide that reassurance to our island communities. For our island communities, I know that our ferries are not just boats. They are lifeline services, bringing food and vital supplies. They are onward journeys to family and essential hospital appointments as we've heard. They are a bridge across our sometimes tumultuous seas and it is vital that government, where it has responsibility and accountability, gets this right for those who live on our islands. I want to start with an apology, Presiding Officer. I am sorry that this winter has not provided islanders with the services that they deserve and that they should have had access to. I am sorry that their needs have not always been fully met. I am sorry that when things have gone wrong, islanders have not always been communicated with appropriately or in a timely fashion. I am acutely aware of the need for government and CalMac to improve in this regard, and whilst I cannot wave a magic wand and make our fleet more resilient overnight, I am intent that we deliver a better service. Working with our island communities, I will explore every possible avenue to do just that. I have heard loud and clear the concerns and difficulties that have been faced in the recent prolonged period of disruption. It is important to reflect the combination of an unprecedented series of named storms, as well as considerable disruption on the network as a result of the impact of the pandemic. On weather, when I say unprecedented, I note to CalMac's own observation that they have seen more weather disruption in the first seven weeks of 2022 than in the whole of 2012. Much like our railway network, climate change is impacting on our seas and on our ferry fleet. Indeed, whether and Covid-related incidents combine for around 92.75 per cent of the disruption experience in January and February alone. Although it is important to note that those disruptions have been caused by factors outwith our control, the impact of extended maintenance requirements and breakdowns due in part to the age of the fleet must also be addressed. I will come to this point shortly. I am very grateful, just very briefly. When will the project Neptune report be released? Mr Kerr, for his intervention, I will come to that shortly. I have already given Mr Simpson, of course, an assurance that it will be released and published in due course. Although it is important to notice—I apologise if I have covered this point—noting the undeniable challenges facing Scotland's ferry fleet, I want to express my on-going thanks to the crews and staff of CalMac. I know that they are working hard in what have been extremely challenging circumstances, and I am sure that members across the chamber will join me in that sentiment. As the Government amendment notes, that includes commending the vessels masters for the key role that they are trained to play in ensuring people's and vessel's safety with the decision that they make about how and when ferries can sail. However, regardless of decisions for cancellations, the impact on communities is clear. Whether a lack of fresh produce in the local shops or missed hospital appointments on the mainland, we must do everything that we can to avoid or to mitigate against service cancellations on the network. I am happy to do so. I appreciate the tone of much of what she has said about accepting the need for more responsiveness in the part of CalMac and Seamall. Does she agree that Seamall and CalMac would be more responsive to communities as organisations if there were any board members of those organisations who had to use a CalMac ferry in their daily lives? I recognise Mr Allen's interest in the matter, particularly given his constituency. I am broadly sympathetic to that suggestion. I do not want to decide on that right now in the chamber. However, I recognise some of the challenges in terms of islander voices informing the work of CalMac going forward. Regardless of the reasons for cancellations of services, the impact on communities has been made very clear to me, whether that lack of fresh produce, as I mentioned, or those hospital appointments being missed. I want to come on to talk about some of the specific services that have been impacted. We have heard today about services in Arran, but I am also well-cited on some of the difficulties in Barra on Cymru. We have heard about Colin Tyre. I will be meeting with CalMac next week following our initial meeting last month to raise those concerns directly and also to seek an action plan for improvement. I want to give members an offer today. If they would like me to raise specific constituency cases with CalMac directly, I would ask them to email my private office and I will ensure that they receive an update and an assurance from CalMac that their concerns have been adequately addressed. I have also asked CalMac for regular briefings regarding vessel cancellations and further through officials who have requested an up-to-date understanding of their approach to Covid on vessels and the impact that this has had, because this has also been raised with me. There is furthermore, and I need for it, I think, a joined-up cross-portfolio working on resilience, working with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Islands, and set up further working across Government to establish what more can be done to better prepare for known resilience events, building on the already well-established engagement between Government and local resilience partnerships. It is important to note that the age of the fleet has been a significant contributing factor in cases of breakdown or in extended periods of maintenance or dry docking. Ministers recognise the need to address delays in investment in ferry infrastructure, which is why we are committed to the £580 million in the infrastructure investment plan. I would like to make some progress, but yes, Mr Simpson. I am very grateful. Does the minister not recognise concerns that that £580 million is nowhere near enough? You actually need to at least double that budget. I recognise what Mr Simpson has argued for. However, I also recognise that the Conservatives voted against the Scottish Government budget, which increased funding for our ferry services and supports to improve our ports. I would like to make some progress, as Mr Bibbu would allow. The investment will enable the delivery of improved infrastructure, which includes three ports on the Sky Triangle, bringing greater resilience and allowing a wider range of vessels to be used. It also supports the delivery of the new Isle vessels and associated port improvements, with both elements allowing increased capacity alongside improved efficiency on the route. The Isle programme was developed following detailed community engagement, and that has led to a decision to invest in a second vessel. We have also been able to use this investment to realise an opportunity to secure an additional vessel in the fleet of the MV Utney, which is now the MV La Friesa. I would like to make some progress, please, following extensive worldwide searches on the market by CMAL. That secures an island-focused year-round timetable, as requested by the MUL community, but it also frees up other vessels that can then improve services to Sky and South US. Both have been welcomed actions from the local community. CMAL, Transport Scotland and CalMac continue to work with communities and key stakeholders across the network to develop the required projects to a point where they are ready for investment. I recognise that we have been previously criticised for not engaging early enough with communities on those decisions, but I hope that this work therefore demonstrates where we have made significant improvements in our approach, a point noted by the Ferry Communities Board with reference to the Isle Vessel experience. I would like to make some progress. Since 2007, our investment in ferry services has exceeded £2 billion to provide new vessels improved infrastructure and underpin our Clyde and Hebrides and the Northern Isles ferry services. Since the ferry's plan was published back in 2012, we have seen the addition of new routes such as those to Campbelltown and Loughboy as well as significantly increased frequency and sailings on routes to Arran and Mull. However, the Islands connectivity plan offers government and I think opposition, the next opportunity for greater delivery for our island communities. The ICP will publish later this year and it will replace and enhance the current ferries plan. It will build on the ferries plan progress and it will refresh the strategy guiding the ferry services for which the Scottish Government is responsible. When published, it will look at that longer-term investment programme for ferries and ports that will aim to improve wider resilience. That engagement is already underway on that. I would like to make some progress with discussions taking place this morning with stakeholders from both networks. I again want to provide the opposition with an opportunity to feed into the ICP's development as on rail and I would welcome the chance to speak directly to party spokespeople. I am aware of my time and I have 10 seconds left, I think, to better ensure a collaborative approach going forward. Before I conclude, I assure Mr Kerr that I would come to project Neptune. As part of our drive for strategic improvement, we commissioned, as Mr Simpson alluded to, an independent review of the current legal and governance arrangements for the existing tripartite of Transport Scotland, CMAL, David McBrain and its subsidiary CalMac Ferries Ltd, which currently operates the CHIS network. As Mr Simpson knows, I have committed to bring forward a statement to Parliament to this end. I received the report from officials late last week. Along with the relevant Audit Scotland recommendations now, we will consider options for reform and improvement. However, project Neptune does potentially offer options for structural changes to how we deliver some elements of our ferry services. Given the complexity of those and what each option might mean for the bodies and staff involved, I am not going to set out the detail of that today, but I want to reassure members that I will be launching further engagement with key stakeholders on those options following a statement to Parliament, as previously committed to. I want to recognise the vital importance of Scotland's ferry network to our island communities. It is imperative that the Government gets this right, and it is honest when we don't. As Transport Minister, I am absolutely committed to listening to the needs of our island communities and acting to make the improvements necessary. I move the amendment in my name. I now call on Neil Bibby to speak to a move amendment 3712.1. Thank you, Presiding Officer. At the outset, I welcome the Scottish Government's reference to the situation at P&O ferries and their amendment. Labour MSPs, whether here in Parliament today or at Cain and Ryan, earlier stand shoulder to shoulder with those workers and their unions, the RMT and Nautilus. P&O executives have behaved utterly, disgracefully and should be hunted down to the full extent that the law allows. That should never have been allowed to happen. As Labour's front bench in the House of Commons have made clear that this would not be happening if there was a Labour Government. P&O executives must be held accountable for their actions. Speaking of accountability, I welcome the debate this afternoon, brought forward by Graham Simpson. The ferries fiasco is one of the biggest issues facing Scotland today, one that the Scottish Government has been dodging for too long. The ship has sailed on the SNP's excuses. Scotland's ferry fiasco is a national humiliation. A Scottish Yard supports Scottish jobs and, known by the Scottish Government, has failed even to make the shortlist to build ferries in Scotland. But this is a national humiliation with serious and profound local consequences. Our reliance on an ageing CalMac fleet means that islanders have to endure the human cost of breakdowns and delays. Young people missing school, sick people missing hospital appointments, families being kept apart, island businesses losing income. We have all seen the pictures of island supermarket shelves lying empty. All of that is a threat to island life, as Graham Simpson said. It undermines efforts to reverse depopulation and it damages fragile island economies. Islanders are waiting on new vessels on the Clyde and Hebride routes. Vessels that are already four years behind schedule and two and a half times over budget deserve a profound and meaningful apology from this Government for their failures over the past 15 years. I welcome the transport minister, the grace, to apologise for the disruption this winter. There has to be concerted action from the very top to put this right. There was a time when senior SNP politicians couldn't get themselves down to Port Glasgow quick enough to get their photo taken. Now they can't run away quick enough from the responsibility of this shambles. Willie Rennie and I both asked the cabinet secretary earlier if she would stake her position on the timely completion of the new vessels. She refused to do so on both occasions. Perhaps the transport minister will take responsibility instead. If not, it is clear that nobody in this Government is going to take responsibility. In fact, there has been a ministerial merry-go-round throughout this fiasco. We had Alex Salmond down there in 2014. Derek Mackayad has voted taken outside the yard in 2017. Nicol Sturgeon launched a ferry with painting on windows that was still unfinished. Fiona Hyslop fell out with the union. Michael Matheson, Humza and Graham Day have all come and gone, unlike the boats. Last week, Ivan McKayad was answering questions on the issue. Today, we have Kate Forbes doing the statement and Jenny Gold is doing the debate. The previous owner is away. The turnaround director is away. The one constant, Presiding Officer, throughout this is the First Minister. He is the First Minister who is ultimately accountable for the Scottish Government. That is why Scottish Labour is calling for the First Minister to assume direct ministerial responsibility for the Government's investment in Ferguson's, because no-one else is actually taking responsibility. Nicol Sturgeon needs to lead from the front, turn Ferguson's around and bring our Government's ferry fiasco to an end. That means that Glenn Sacks is fully operational with no more delays and followed by vessel 802. The completion of those vessels is essential to rebuilding confidence in Ferguson's and helping the yard bid for new work. On the question of confidence in Ferguson's, let me say this, today's audit Scotland report will make difficult reading for many. Ultimate responsibility lies with the Government, but there is plenty of blame to go around. There is no question, however, about the dedication and professionalism of the Ferguson's workforce. They have gone on with the job as best they can in extremely difficult circumstances. They deserve better. They need to know that the Government is committed to completing those vessels. They need assurances that the new management setup will make the yard more competitive and bring new opportunities to the lower Clyde. Our appeal to the Government is to complete those ferries and ensure that the yard can bid for new work. That must include the opportunity to be part of a much needed ferry building and replacement programme. We need to build more ferries. Under this Government's 2017, only six new ferries have been built in 15 years compared to 10 new ferries by the previous Labour and Liberal Democrat administration. A programme to rejuvenate an ageing fleet and ensure that new ferries are built in Scotland. I ask the Minister and Cabinet Secretary to consider the case for simpler, smaller models being built in the Clyde to help fill order books. The test for the future viability of Ferguson's should not be at the mercy of a vessel as complex to build as the Glenn Sannocks. I also encourage the Government to engage with the GMB union on the potential for new row-row ferries to be built on the Clyde and deployed in the CalMac fleet. I would say again that if concerns of the workforce have been addressed at an earlier point in this fiasco, then perhaps the delays and the overspends that our dog this project could have been avoided. That underlines the need for the workforce and for islanders to be adequately represented in the governance of the ferry network. There should be an urgent review into the suitability of the current CMAL CalMac model. It was designed for another time. Finally, I want to acknowledge that, while today's Audit Scotland report usefully sets out the scale and nature of the failings at CalMac, it did not answer all of our questions. It did not look into tender documents or any depth that the reported changes in procurement and design once construction had been approved. It was not able to interrogate in much greater depth the breakdown in the relationships between CMAL and Ferguson's. It was not able to establish whether it was reasonable to pay a turn-around director £2,783 per day, and it could have interrogated what the ministers knew and went, and why on earth it did not put in place normal financial safeguards. There is another way to get to those answers and ensure lessons are learned from this fiasco. That is through a full public inquiry. There was a public inquiry for the Edinburgh trams because the costs doubled, costs here more than doubled. There would be no hiding from scrutiny in a full public inquiry. Key witnesses that did not appear before the rural economy and connectivity inquiry. People like Derek Mackay or the First Minister herself, and so Scottish Labour supports calls for an inquiry. Labour supported the decision to save Ferguson's yard from closure. We applaud the extraordinary effort that has gone into keeping Ferguson's open and keeping the workers and jobs, but failing to oversee the project adequately, the Government is failing those workers. There must be a better future for the workforce at Ferguson's, for the lower Clyde and for our island communities. To unlock that future, we are calling on the First Minister to step in and turn this yard around a Moorthy amendment in money. The ferrifiasco is a national embarrassment of the SNP's own making. Four years late now, after today, five years late. Two and a half times the original budget or even more, painted on windows just for the First Minister, cables too short, bulb as bow too small, endless squabbling and now a damning report from Audit Scotland. The embarrassment is never ending. However, it is not just an embarrassment. It is a real-world effect on islanders, on taxpayers and on the workers at the shipyard. The effect on islanders is significant. Breakdowns and cancellations are commonplace. It is not a surprise, though, with the ageing ferry fleet, much of which was built on the lower Clyde in the days of Margaret Thatcher. Who would have thought that Margaret Thatcher would have a better shipbuilding record than the SNP, but she did. However, the delays today could have been avoided if the SNP had a proper ferry building plan to replace the ageing fleet, which they did not. The delays almost every day could have been avoided if the SNP had built the ferries when it promised five years ago, but they did not. The repeated delays could have been avoided if they had managed to get the ferries built in 2018, 2019, 2020 or even 2021. All the dates for completion promised by the SNP but failed over and over again. Even now, the date has been delayed until next year. Not more delays and cancellations and breakdowns through another cold Scottish winter, I hear that islanders cry. One said that the fiasco with procurement and the ageing fleet is going to get worse rather than better in the next number of years. It is horrendous. However, those waiting on the new ferry for Arran will just need to wait longer, and those waiting on the new ferry to Skye will need to wait even longer. The Skye boat song would never have been quite the same without the boat. The delays are long and torches, but the costs have shot through the roof. Patients, children and the homeless will just have to watch as the Scottish Government spends ever greater sums of money on two ferries that are still not complete. The costs have rocketed from £97 million to £240 million and possibly to an estimated £400 million, four times the original price. Let us put that in context. That is seven high schools for children desperately waiting to move from their damp, ridden buildings. It is 2,000 council houses for those desperate for a home, but it buys just one new children's hospital in Edinburgh. That is another story. The SNP seems to think that it is okay for all of those people to wait and watch the SNP bungle contracts for building ships on the Clyde. It has got so embarrassing for the SNP that they even refuse to be interviewed by the BBC about it. However, that is nothing compared with embarrassment that they feel now that the SNP-owned ferry company does not even bid for its own ferries. Those ferries will be built by Turkish yards, benefiting Turkish workers, Turkish taxpayers and Turkish communities. I have heard some say that the new slogan should be SNP stronger for Turkey. It has got so desperate and embarrassing that the SNP is reaching for Boris Johnson's playbook on building bridges. They want to build one to mull now. If the minister is listening, she should get on the building fix links in Shetland, which does want them rather than mull that does not. However, all of that is a prime example of a failed SNP industrial intervention strategy. It intervened with BiFab before the company collapsed. It exposed to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds at Lochaber Svelter, and the 2,000 jobs are nowhere to be seen. They have spent millions on presswick but still cannot sell it. They are potentially exposed to millions of pounds for the environmental cleanup at the Lanarkshire steel mills, and they seem incapable of handling relationships with business. Dwiwedd by the £10 billion Chinese deal that never was, try to renege on a deal with Tata over the cleanup costs. It is now not even able to train enough workers to build just eight windfarn jackets in five. The SNP's record on ferry building is just one example of a series of industrial-sized failures. It is the workers, the taxpayers, the islanders who will lose out. What we need is a new plan for ferry construction, a new investment to replace the ageing fleet, a turn-around plan that works for Ferguson's, a Government that delivers on its promises, and a public inquiry into the utter shambles. However, I suspect that, like everybody else, we will be kept waiting for ever longer before we get any of those things. Thank you, Mr Rennie. We now move to the open debate. I call First Edward Mountain to be followed by Jackie Dunbar for up to seven minutes, please. We are discussing the inabilities of this incompetent Scottish Government to keep our islands connected. Four years ago, we needed to build one ferry every year to keep our fleet fit for purpose. Now, according to CalMac, because of the Government's failings, we need to build two and a half ferries every year for the next ten years to get back on track. That's a sad indictment. Presiding Officer, seven years ago, a contract was awarded to build two ferries, and today it appears that neither of them are close to completion. I need to remind you, Presiding Officer, that it took seven years to build an aircraft carrier, and yet this Government has nothing to show for the hundreds of millions of pounds that we have spent. What a farce. So what went wrong? Things started to go wrong even before the contract was awarded. If we cast our minds back to 2014, the year of the divisive but definitive referendum, in August of that year, the focusing yard went into receivership. Not good news for Scotland or the case for independence. Resolving the issue became a priority for the Government and for Alex Hammond. Oh, how fortuitous it was that, within a month and before the referendum, a key SNP financial supporter and their economic adviser stepped up and purchased the yard. Coincidence, surely, and not as some have suggested, on the back of a promise that the yard would be awarded some Government ferry contracts. Perish that thought. But barely a year later, Ferguson Marine Engineering, the new name of the yard, had indeed been awarded the contract, and let me list some of the attributes of the yards that were identified at the time of their tender. They had a highly skilled workforce, no doubt, but they had no management experience of shipbuilding. None of the managers have been near a boat. It was the most expensive tender. It had the most unrealistic delivery time. The company couldn't prove any evidence of financial security, and the company didn't even have the support of the purchaser, CMAL. Bearing that in mind, of course, why wouldn't you give them the contract? So next, we need to look at how the Scottish Government managed this contract. As Willie Rennie has said, there are numerous SNP ministers who have played past the parcel with this hot potato, and they've all had their fingers burned. There was Nicola Sturgeon, who had a hotline to Monaco in the owner, and launched Hull 801 in 2017, with wooden windows and funnels connected to engines that weren't actually there. Of course, there was Humza Yousaf, the Minister of Transport, who couldn't even explain why there was a delay to the ferries when we passed the construction date. There was Derek Mackay, who signed off the payments of £127 million of a £97 million contract to Ferguson Marine, to any end up with two rusting hulls. And there was Michael Matheson, as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, who assured everyone until almost he'd left the appointment that everything was going right and there was nothing wrong. And Kate Forbes, I'm glad you're back. You oversaw the yard, palming off control to a turnaround director who saw no turnaround of the yard's fortunes. There was Fiona Hyslop, who claimed that the shipyard had a bright future ahead of it, but had no knowledge of the depth of the problems. And there was Graham Day, who knew of the problems and who was content for a shipyard in Turkey to build the next ferry. And now it falls to Jenny Gilruth, who, after five weeks of being asked when the ferries would be delivered, was unable to confirm it, leaving it to Kate Forbes to do so today. That's a pretty disappointing role of honour. Frankly, it is a roller shame and each and every one of them should hold their heads in shame and embarrassment. So who was this turnaround director that was appointed by the finance secretary? Well, he was appointed after a single telephone interview. He came with, of course, the relevant shipbuilding experience having been a cruise ship engineer 30 years ago. And the previous company he turned around went into liquidation shortly after he left it. Now, business experience tells me that the first six months of a turnaround director's appointment, they are part of the problem. And after that, they become the problem. For nearly two years, the yard struggled on rearranging the stores, rearranging the yard layout. And some people have said to me it was about as useful as reorganising the chairs on the Titanic after it had hit the iceberg. And finally, Presiding Officer, I want to mention costs. Apparently, this was a fixed price contract with 15 stage payments for each ferry. Someone, therefore, needs to explain to me and the islanders how this government allowed the payment of 82% of the contract value before the ferries were even completed. That was how much they had paid when the yard went into receivership. But it doesn't stop there. This government without the knowledge of SEMAL went and lent FML £45 million, not even telling SEMAL that they'd lent that money when SEMAL was still signing off payments before they went to the government. And they also swept under the carpet and they have done today on every single opportunity the additional harbour infrastructure costs to allow these new ferries to run. We haven't even considered how much has been spent in each harbour to allow the ferries to come in, the cost of the LNG tanks. In fact, the LNG tanks an interesting thing because we commissioned ferries where we don't have any LNG. So the LNG has to come up from Kent in a lorry to be delivered up to the ferries so that they can run. I'm sure that's really good green policies there. So when this all comes down to the end of it, we've heard today that I think, unless I've got this wrong, there's about another £140 million on the ferries. We've already spent £140 million. My belief is that we probably spent £100 million by the time we've done all the infrastructure. And I think we will have little change from half a billion pounds. And if we open the books and we look at the true costs at all stages, we'll find out. So, Presiding Officer, I know the Auditor General has been quoted and I'm going to quote him again. The failure to deliver these 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 the significant sums of public money and what they've achieved. And crucially, communities still don't have the lifeline ferry services they were promised years and years ago. This is, Presiding Officer, a complete mess. It is a complete demonstration of catastrophic mismanagement, as the Wreck Committee pointed out in 2021. And what we really need is a public inquiry. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Mountain. I now call on Jackie Dunbar to be followed by Jamie Greene for up to six minutes, Mr Dunbar. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this afternoon's debate on Scotland's ferries. Although I was not an MSP at the time, I am acutely aware of the extensive inquiry that the Rural Committee undertook on ferries in session 5. I'm sure that we are all in agreement that it is incredibly crucial to our island communities and indeed island economies that we have good transport links between our remote communities and the mainland. Those transport links act as an essential lifeline for residents, including for the supply of food and services. Over the last few years, Scotland's ferries have been operating in very tough conditions. Ferries have faced the challenges of the Covid-19 restrictions, combined with increasingly more adverse weather events. Vessels also need to be taken out of circulation for essential day-to-day maintenance, which folk in this chamber seem to forget about at times. Those challenges have caused cancellations and disruptions on the ferry network. In response to those challenges, the Scottish Government has invested more than £1.9 billion in our ferry services, vessels and infrastructure since taking office in 2007. Those investments have included new routes, new vessels, upgraded harbour infrastructure, as well as the roll-out of significantly reduced fares through the road equivalent tariff scheme. I'll take an intervention if I've got time, Presiding Officer. Neil Bibby. Thank you for taking the intervention. You mentioned the level of investment that the Government has made in ferries since 2007, but the Government has only built six ferries in 15 years. That's not nearly good enough, particularly when you compare it to the last Labour and Liberal Democrat administration that built 10 ferries in those eight years. The rhetoric is not matching the reality of what people in Scotland need. Ducky Dabar, I'll give you the time back. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I hear what Mr Bibby is saying, but we have put the budgets in place, and sometimes the budget outweith that is in place is more important than what is delivered. That doesn't really make much sense, Presiding Officer. What I was meaning was sometimes it's good to have the budgets in place and the responsibility within the Scottish Government. Eight new vessels have been introduced to the CalMac fleets since 2007, as Mr Bibby has said, including a further two in construction, highlighting the Scottish Government's commitment to crucial infrastructure for our island communities. Our Scottish Government has delivered significant ferry fare reductions to the Clyde and Hebrides, leading to a welcome boost in Caryings, which supports our island and remote communities and its local economies. That was emphasised by the Scottish Government budget, which continues to provide support for subsidised ferry services across the islands, with £19.2 million for local authority ferries, which was an increase of £7.7 million on the previous year. That demonstrates the commitment that the Scottish Government puts on our islands. I don't know who was first, Presiding Officer. I think that it was Ms Clark. Is she aware that, in the 14 years up until 2007, 26 ferries were brought into service? Does she not accept that that compares very poorly with the 14 years since 2007? The long-term failure to invest from 2007 is really the reason why we are here today. Jackie Dunbarth. I am aware of the 46 per cent capital cut to Labour and the Liberal Democrats that, in their time, they were in government. Given the investments in actions that I have laid out, it is simply puzzling that we continually hear from across the chamber calls for more funding for everything. From transport infrastructure to healthcare, to justice, to education, the list is never ending. I am still waiting to see what any of the Opposition party's budgets would have been. I have not seen sight nor sound of where they would cut funding from to fund their endless calls for money. It is very easy to demand when you do not have to balance the books every year. Perhaps if the Opposition joined our calls for full fiscal autonomy for this Parliament, it would at least have a basis for its uncosted financial demands. Coming from a local authority setting, when most Opposition parties, and I say most, provided an alternative budget, I was amazed that none came forward in this chamber. The Scottish Government is committed to undertaking the first ever comprehensive review of the ferry network. The islands connectivity plan will replace the current ferries plan and look at aviation ferries and fixed links to ensure all potential options for connecting our island communities are considered. As part of this plan, it is key that the Scottish Government consult with users of the ferries and learn from the experiences of other countries and other modes of transport. I ask the minister for an insured certainness. I welcome that the Scottish Government will produce and maintain a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development of ports to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and accessibility, and increase standardisation and reduce emissions to meet the needs of island communities. In 2005, when the Ferguson's yard faced closure because of the inaction of the previous Labour Government, the SNP joined with Labour rebels to demand the yard was saved. Then in 2014, when the yard faced closure once more, it was the SNP Scottish Government that stepped up and helped to save it, rescuing more than 300 jobs. Today, there is now almost 500 permanent and temporary staff at Ferguson's. Let's contrast that against the recent developments with P&O ferries, a multimillion corporation that benefited from taxpayer Covid-19 funding and which has just made 800 staff redundants with absolutely no notice. I absolutely have got no time, Mr Kerr, normally. You do need to be winding up now. The services provided by P&O, including the vital links between Scotland, Northern Ireland and Europe through the port of Cairnryan, are essential for Scotland's economy. Yet the Tory UK Government has consistently blocked changes to employment legislation that would have prevented the abhorrent treatment of workers at P&O ferries, and they still show no signs of doing anything to close down the possibilities of future companies doing the same. You do need to conclude, Mr Barra. Officer, will the Labour join me today in supporting the Scottish Government, which shows clear support for P&O ferries employees and calls for the fire and rehire practices to be outlawed? Thank you very much, Mr Barra. I now call Jamie Greene to be followed by Katie Clark up to seven minutes, please, Mr Greene. First of all, I want to say that I was really pleased to be taking part in today's debate, and I want to thank Finlay, my office, for stepping up this week in the most difficult or circumstances. I have been raising the issue of ferries pretty much since I stood for election, both in my regional capacity, but also when I held the transport brief and as a member of the previous RIC committee. This debate really is for them, our islanders. This is the chance to give them that much-needed voice in all of this, because barely a week goes by when there is not some sort of ferry-related fiasco on our beleaguered ferry network. MSPs representing any island community will know at first hand the constant delays and cancellations that have just become a regular and routine part of islanders' day-to-day lives, and those are not all-weather-related either. Specifically, I would say to those sitting behind the Government benches, who often are sitting there sheepishly asking their prescripted questions about ferries, pointing the finger at everyone but their own ministers, and all the while pretending to be angry in the local papers, but who are afraid to come into this chamber and hold their own ministers to account for a change. I wonder if the member would recognise that the minister is referring to also represent island communities that are also dependent on those vessels. Absolutely, he represents those communities, and you should be ashamed of the way that your Government is treating them. In the last few weeks alone, I prefer examples of what that means on the ground for our islanders. The 16-year-old MV Loch Fyre has been out of action because of numerous sewage system problems. Multiple routes are out of operation because the temporary replacement vessels are unable to handle the strong winds that the scheduled vessel could have, and it is this constant moving of the jigsaw—moving pieces around vessels from one route to another—is actually competing in pitting island against island, which is annoying islanders the most. Of course, the biggest kick in the teeth is handing ferry contracts to Turkey. I think that this is the inevitable and sad outcome of the nationalisation of a Clyde shipbuilder. I would say to Willie Rennie that stronger for Turkey is not just a silly meme. It is a sad truth, unfortunately. It is a sad truth of the inevitable result of this Government. I know what Mr Millan is going to ask me, and I am going to come on to the nationalisation issue in one second to listen up. The story of this Government's mismanagement goes back a while—no, please do you listen, because I am very happy to address the utter catastrophic nationalisation project that you have embarked on in just a second. Mr Greene, through the chair, please. The 2007 SNP manifesto promised a fairer deal for islands. That was an admirable promise to make to the electorate. In 2011, it repeated that promise by saying that we have placed the needs and aspirations of our island communities at the very centre of our Government's agenda. So where on earth is the new ferry for Arran then? Which bit of that single failure alone has put Ireland at the heart of our Government's agenda? The First Minister herself, back in 2015, said that we are committed to supporting fairers right across Scotland by providing safe and reliable services. We will ensure that we have a fleet that continues to deliver for the communities that depend on it. Well, First Minister, we are still waiting on that fleet. Two years later, she said that she made another visit to Ferguson and said that this one, of course, the famous one that is going down in her history, the much-heralded launcher of the Glen Sannocks, a ship with no pipe work, no electrics, no engine and those infamous painted-on windows that I think have come to symbolise this Government's approach to our island communities. All shiny and appealing on the outside but not fit for purpose when you peer through the painted-on portholes. All we have heard is countless manifesto promises, countless programmes for government and not a single head has rolled, no one has been fined, no one has been investigated, no one has been really held to account. Of course, I welcome the apology today from the transport ministers, but all the while, transport minister our islands are suffering on a day-to-day basis. I have raised issues about ferry-related problems no fewer than 85 times in this chamber alone, including even in my maiden speech. One of the first anecdotes that I shared to the chamber was about a gentleman from Arran with a physical disability who couldn't schedule a hospital appointment on the mainland. That was six years ago and since then dozens and dozens of cases have been taken on by my office, by the officers of my colleagues and probably by every member in this chamber. Problems with accessing healthcare, education, tourism, businesses and agriculture. I could share a whole afternoon of stories and anecdotes of people being let down by a litany of technical cancellations and delays on their ferries. Graham Simpson spoke about a constituent of mine. She missed a breast cancer operation not that long ago. That is not just a shame, that is negligence, I would say. That wasn't Covid's fault either. It wasn't Jim McCall's fault. It wasn't Tim Herr's fault. It wasn't even Robbie Drummond's fault. It's the whole broken system's fault. A system of ferry tenders, which are so narrowly spet, prohibits sensible competition on profitable routes. Of a ferry operating company who doesn't own the ferries that it operates, which isn't given the ferries that it asks for. Of vessels which don't match the ports that they're supposed to serve. Of putting cruise liner services on short range commuter routes. Of failing to listen to the needs of communities. Of complex ownership and operating structures. Of a lack of oversight. Of zero accountability when it comes to millions and millions of pounds of public money. And let's sprinkle on top a gross and long standing failure to come up with any sort of ship building or procurement plan which is fit for purpose or delivers value for money. And scratch below the surface, everyone knows that CalMac is at creaking point. They know it, CalMac know it, Seamile know it. Transport Scotland knows it and even the Government knows it. And let's go to that point of nationalisation because we hear it so many times they saved the yard. Well let me ask then, if you save the yard, let me ask some very specific questions. Did Jim McCall or not ask or offer to siphon off to Seamile contract into a separate company that the Government could easily have taken ownership, allowing the yard to prosper free from the shackles of the plagued LNG project? Or was he lying or was his offer rejected? And if it was rejected, why? Who else put a bid in for the yard? How many bids were received and why were they rejected? Did the Government threaten potential new owners of the yard with the burden of calling in its debt? And who on earth did the risk analysis on any of this and what the effect of public ownership would have on the yard about state aid or its ability to tender for new contracts? Where are those new contracts? Which bit of saving the yard has resulted in Scotland building ships in Turkey? At least Scotland's other Government gets on with actually building ships in Scotland. This Government should be ashamed and I support the motion in Graham's name. Thank you very much Mr Greene. I now call Katie Clark to be followed by Paul McLean in the pitch. Up to six minutes Ms Clark. Thank you Presiding Officer and I welcome this debate and also the tone of the Cabinet Secretary's opening remarks, which seem to accept that islanders have been let down. Islanders on Arran and Cumbrae contact me on an almost daily basis about ferry cancellations. They fully appreciate the problems caused by weather and by Covid, which is still with us, but they get in touch about issues connected with mechanical and technical failures, which are impacting on their lives and the lives of everyone in their community. This debate is about the failure to deliver a resilient ferry fleet. In the time available to me, I want to focus on the long-term failure to invest in the new fleet on CalMac routes, the lack of an industrial strategy or procurement framework to ensure that we have the capacity to build new fleet in Scotland and the wider issues of employment rights in the maritime sector, which Jackie Dunbar referred to and have been highlighted again by the treatment of PNO workers. Most industry experts agree that the average life expectancy of a ferry is 25 years. Half of the 31 working state-owned ferries are older than that. The Caledonia Isles on the Addros into Brodict group was brought into service in 1993, the Loch Ryddon on Largs to Cumbria route in 1986 and the Isle of Arran, which is used on the Addros into Campbelltown and Addros into Arran routes in 1983. More than 1,000 ferry sailings have been delayed over the last five years due to mechanical issues that are associated with the age of the fleet. The failure to invest consistently since 2007 is part of the reason that we are in this position. We heard the statement earlier on on Ferguson Marine and I think that it is important that we put on record that it is not the fault of the workforce that we are in this position today but that it is a mistake and mismanagement by politicians and by management. We need to rebuild the reputation of the yard and to ensure a pipeline of future ferry contracts that can be achieved. We need to learn from the mistakes that have been made up to now. The Scottish Government has wasted more than £500 million on taxpayer money to private firm Ernst and Young to provide advice since 2015. We have already heard that senior management has been paid eye-watering sums. We need an emergency ferry plan with a procurement strategy to ensure that our ferries are built in Scotland but groups such as the Arran ferry action group and islanders in the communities affected are involved in decision making. Frankly, if they had been more involved in the decision making that led to this debate today, we would not be having the kind of contributions from members on all sides of the House. The trade unions also need to be involved in those discussions. I asked the cabinet secretary yesterday if they could be involved in discussions around P&O, but what I would say is that it is vital that trade unions and the workforce in CalMac, in Semal but also in Ferguson Marine are involved in those discussions. The Scottish Government needs to accept that mistakes have been made. It needs to stop digging. It needs to accept that there was no investment in the levels that were required since 2007 and therefore further investment is needed to catch up. We need to start including communities in decision making and that includes agreeing to a public inquiry to ensure that lessons are learnt for the future. The backdrop, of course, is a marine sector that is not fully covered by employment law, which is the reason why we are seeing workforces brought in that are paid less than the national minimum wage due to the exemption of seafarers from all employment law regulations. That is part of the reason why it is important that the ferries are kept in the public sector, but that is also why it is important that Ferguson Marine, CalMac and the other parts of the sector that are owned by the public are successful. I assure the Scottish Government that it has the support of Scottish Labour in keeping those services in public ownership, but we genuinely believe that the Government needs to listen to what communities, what the workforce and all involved are saying to learn lessons to agree to a public inquiry so that we do not repeat the mistakes that have been made in the past. In this debate this afternoon, we can all agree that ferry services provide an essential lifeline Thailand and remote rural communities and their economies, as we have heard today. I am aware how important this is to the communities of seven and what it means to the economy and general wellbeing of such communities. Changing climate in the many storms this year alongside Covid-19 has caused many cancellations in ferry services and I appreciate the apologies from the transport minister this afternoon. I want to touch on the Audit Scotland report before we go any further in the discussions. The Audit Scotland report is looking back, but I will also recommend it one way ahead. I want to touch on the point that both the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Transport, Minister of Transport, have touched on it as well. It mentions that our recommendations are intended to support the completion of vessels 801 and 802, which has been picked up, improve future procurement, contract management and delivery of new vessels, which has been picked up, help informed thinking about the future of MPG, which has been picked up and increased the transparency of the Scottish Government's decisions and expected outcomes in relation to supporting private business. Part of the debate today, of course, is looking back, but it is learning lessons. Paul MacLennan lists recommendations, but does he also acknowledge that Audit Scotland's report says that there are remain significant and unsolved problems relating to the projects? Does he accept that? Paul MacLennan. As I said, I think that it is looking back and also looking forward. I think that those points have already been picked up by the Cabinet Secretary and the Transport Minister. We have to acknowledge that technical issues have also caused further issues, and that obviously adds to people's frustrations and inconvenience. It is also worth as a balance acknowledging that more than £2 billion has been invested in service contracts for new vessels and infrastructure since 2007, and that, in the current five-year period of further £508 million has been committed. It is a good point that Jackie Dunbar mentioned earlier on. We have no alternative funding proposals from the Opposition parties, none. The £580 million will enable harbour investment, two new vessels for I like we built and, of course, the purchase of MB Look visa that we have. Does the member think that it serves the open to mall route well to replace the current vessel with a second-hand vessel that is slower and with one-third of the capacity? Paul MacLennan. I think that that is a decision for people who have got expertise in that sector. I do not pretend to have that expertise in that particular project. I am more happy to take that up with you. The Scottish Government commitment to publish the Ireland's connectivity plan by the end of 2022 is also very welcome, and I have no doubt that we will be discussed in this place and in committee, and quite rightly it needs to be. As we know, the Ireland's connectivity plan will replace the current ferry's plan. We will look at aviation, ferries, fixed-length and invest in more sustainable ferries and ensure that 30% of state-owned ferries are low-emission by 2032. The Ireland connectivity plan will also take forward through the national strategic strategy and strategic transport projects review. That will enable us to look at other potential viable options connected to the islands that we have heard. The Ireland connectivity plan will replace the ferry's plan by the end of 2022, and engagement and consultation will enable substantial public and community input. We have heard that important, just the point that Katie Clark mentioned. There obviously needs to be input from the communities. That must be extensive and allow two-way conversations, and perhaps the minister or the cabinet secretary can comment on that in the sum and up. I think that that is incredibly important. We need to invest in more sustainable ferries, reducing the carbon footprint, as I said, to 30% of state-owned ferries by 2032. The Scottish Government plans to explore the potential to build more fixed-length island and rural communities such as the potential from a bridge from Gwyrwch to Doon and work with island communities to reduce reliance on ferries. Again, that needs to be part of the consultation process. Investment in a ferry fleet can come from the benefits for our industry. The Scottish Government's intervention in 2019 saved the Ferguson yard in its workforce on uncertain future. We cannot underestimate that. Progress has been made at the yard, but we need to ensure that the Ferguson marine is back to being a serious contender for future vessel contracts. However, we must ensure that we deliver as best we can when it comes to lifeline services for our island communities. Ferguson marine continues to evolve with appointments to the new CEO earlier this year. The Scottish Government remains fully committed to supporting the Ferguson yard to secure a sustainable future, including a pipeline of future work. Of course, it was disappointing that Ferguson marine did not progress to the invitation to tender stage of the dialy vessel last year. The Scottish Government, as the cabinet secretary has said, continues to work closely with the yard to ensure that it becomes globally competitive. However, let's remember that the Ferguson yard is still operating, employing hundreds of skilled workers. The decision to take in the safeguard of the future of Ferguson marine was the right one. Not only did it save the last commercial shipyard in the Clyde from Closure, it directly saved more than 300 jobs—I have not got time, I think, as has been mentioned by the Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government has set out the two priorities for the yard's management to finish building the two ferries that are under construction and get the yard back into shape to complete for a new work. Of course, the Scottish Government ministers will do all they can to ensure a strong future for Ferguson. It has also been mentioned about the review of the legal structures and governance arrangements that exist between the tripartite group now that transports Scotland, CMAL and CalMac. That is incredibly important, and it means fit for purpose to deliver effective efficient and economic ferry services that started and will deliver a final report later this year. The Scottish Government is also developing an advice ferry stakeholder engagement strategy. Again, the cabinet secretary and minister can pick up on that at the end when they sum it up. The strategy will set an approach to engagement in the three key areas—operational issues, strategy and policy. The infrastructure investment plan that we have heard for 2021 to 2026 will produce and maintain a long term investment programme for new ferries and development ports to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and accessibility, and reduce emissions to meet the needs of island communities. In conclusion, it has been a tough few years for some of our island communities, adverse weather, Covid and, of course, technical and delayed orders. Lessons need to be learned, and our island communities need to be reassured. They need to be fully consolidated, and we need to have a thriving shipbuilding industry in Scotland. As we have heard from across the chamber, ferries are vital arteries of our island communities. Cansled ferry is a first baby scan mist, a shop or pharmacy unstocked. The accumulation of these disruptions can no longer reach a tipping point where island life is sadly no longer viable. There is no doubt that this has been a challenging winter for island residents, businesses and communities. As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I feel viscerly the impact that ferry disruption has on my constituents. It is absolutely vital to put them at the centre of this debate. Earlier this month, three families with young children left South US in just one week after the latest in a long string of incidents leading to cancellations of the Loch Bowsdale ferry. Only 24 per cent of respondents to the national islands plan survey feel that young people are sufficiently supported and encouraged to remain, move or return to islands. We can change that by improving transport links and connectivity. These lifeline services are essential to community life, so it is only responsible that the governance of them should include members of the communities that they serve. A positive step would be for the Scottish Government to implement mandatory islander representatives on the boards that provide oversight of Scotland's ferries. It should not be lost in this debate that the ferries are not separate from our communities, they are our communities. Water-based passengers transport provides around 1,100 jobs, mainly in island and coastal areas. I joined the Scottish Government in recognising the work done by vessel masters in ensuring the safety of crews and passengers. The Scottish Green Party strongly supports ferry workers' rights and joins the Scottish Government in condemning despicable employment practices recently deployed by PNO ferries. I would further note that it is imperative that the UK Government takes swift action to close the legal loopholes that made that possible. Covid-19 could not have been predicted, but the absences and disruption should now be factored into business planning. That may require extra resources and we would support the Scottish Government to take action to increase resilience in staffing. Similarly, the climate emergency has meant that extreme weather events are becoming the new normal. The recent spate of severe storms has shown just how disruptive that can be to transport, as well as to internet and electricity connections. We need to take action now to make plans to adapt to these changes so that islanders are not left on the sharp end of them. How can we move forward? I echo calls from my constituents and local councillors to expand the current fleet that would build in redundancy over the winter and add capacity in the summer and welcome the minister's comment that this work is under way. Yes, rapid change. Grym Simpson. I thank Arrian Burgess for taking the intervention. Would she agree with me, therefore, that we need to increase the budget for ferry replacements in order to get more ferries? Arrian Burgess, I can give you that thing back. Thank you, Mr Simpson. Rapid change needs to be made, but we must get this right, and that means taking time to properly define the requirements and identify the benefits, as well as increasing investment. Whilst I welcome the investments made in service contracts, new vessels and infrastructure, and the further £580 million that has been committed over the next five years, I would urge the new vessels to be zero or low carbon. Electric ferries are already running on renewable energy in Sweden and New Zealand, and Europe's first green hydrogen ferry is currently being designed here in Scotland. We may also need to increase the use of diesel-electric hybrid ferries until we can phase out diesel completely. Given that the number of low-emission ferries has actually gone backwards in the last few years because of the purchase of the Northern Ireland's boat, and there are all those issues with regard to the replacement ferries, does Arrian Burgess support our calls for a public inquiry into this Government's mismanagement of our ferry network? I find it disappointing that the member wants to turn this debate into a point-scoring playing game. Our communities need us to work constructively to provide the best lifeline services we can, and that's a green's approach. Retrofitting an electric motor to a diesel ferry is win-win. It cuts pollution, emissions, noise and running costs. I was pleased to see on a recent trip to Orkney that Northlink ferries and Orkney Island Council have undertaken to reduce emissions through the use of on-shore electricity connectors. Installing electric vehicle charge points on ferries would enable drivers to charge their ferries en route, reduce range anxiety and increase the use of electric vehicles on the islands, both by residents and tourists. Sweden's row-packs ferries already have EV charge points. Those can be retrofitted on our current vessels. To upgrade and decarbonise the fleet, we need a strategic long-term plan, but this is challenging when the publicly owned operator CalMac has to bid for the contract every six years at great expense. It would help to end the competitive bidding process, making inter-island ferries part of a publicly owned Scottish national infrastructure. Fixed links are another important element of our transport mix and could provide cost-effective long-term solutions to island communities, such as Yale and Amnistin Shetland, where there is strong support for this. I stand firmly with our island communities ready to listen and incorporate their lived experience into our future work on the islands connectivity plan, the resource spending review and the second strategic transport project. I will be working hard with the Scottish Government to deliver a robust ferry network that will help to reverse depopulation and ensure a future where our island communities can flourish and thrive. When it comes to procurement and construction of new lifeline ferries, the Glyn Sannox and 802 is important to deliver the vessels and, ultimately, the services that are constating both need and deserve. As a local member for two island communities and in Cumbria, I can say that the sheer number of ferry-related emails and phone calls received in recent months and years, even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, reflects the increasingly poor and unreliable service that islands have had to put up with for far too long. Roughly 40 per cent of sailings tuned from Brodic this year have been cancelled, mostly but not only due to inclement weather. That is a total unacceptable and, of course, island constituents and businesses are understandably at the end of their tether. It is simply undeniable that island communities have been severely affected by their repeated delays and in the spiralling cost of delivering a reliable, Clyde and Hebrideen ferry fleet. Most island constituents appreciate that sustained and prolonged period of severe weather, as well as Covid outbreaks among crews have caused severe disruption to Ireland and Cumbria's lifeline ferry services and, indeed, others across the network. However, they also know that serious project management fails in relation to construction of the Glyn Sannox, which was originally due to be delivered in 2018 to operate on the address and Brodic route. A vessel that is absolutely key to improving Ireland's ferry services. In many islands there is no wonder if the ship will ever go into service and I am pleased, therefore, to have reassurances and, indeed, a very determined statement from the cabinet secretary that this will indeed happen. A recent announcement regarding a further delay in the delivery of this long overdue vessel load due to issues with legacy cables installed prior to the ship that are going into administration in August 2019 and damage to the hull after the Glyn Sannox recently slipped its moorings requiring a repair in December of this year, adds insult to injury for armed residents and businesses, or that Scotland's report provides a timeline deating a plethora of missteps, which ultimately led to the failure to deliver the two vessels on time and on budget. Of course, hindsight is always in 2020 vision. Let us not forget that, at the time the contract was won by Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd in Port Glasgow, there were few, if any, objections and much celebration that this could and would revitalise the yard. Luke Van Beek, former independent shipbuilding adviser to the Scottish Government, said that there was no doubt that Ferguson Marine had their management expertise and, having her built the yard, had a good shipbuilding system in place. Indeed, pioneering diesel-electric hybrid ferries, MV Lochinva and MV Hallig had just been delivered by the shipyard on time and on budget to be followed soon after by the MV Katrina now-serving lacharans up from Arran. Mr Hamilton. He Goodman. I remember first taking an intervention. Does the member accept that Seymal, the company that was charged with overseeing this contract, was distinctly unhappy with the contract being awarded? And the fact that, in August of the year that the contract was awarded, that's a month for it, was awarded, they were also, they were voicing their concerns that the company was capable, the management of the company was capable of undertaking the job. Kenneth Gibson. Fair comment. I have to say, however, the overwhelming view at the time, certainly from within this chamber and beyond it, was on balance that the right contract was awarded to the right yard at the right time. And that was certainly the view, as I recall, being a member at that time. Of course, we mustn't forget that the Scottish Government's subsequent actions to protect the shipyard from closure protected hundreds of skilled jobs in one of Scotland's most deprived communities. A step criticised by some opposition politicians, including Jamie Greene, who were apparently happy to see each Ferguson's close, and he said, and I quote at the time, sitting to September 2019, Jamie, no-one in the right mind thinks nationalisation is the answer to the Ferguson fiasco. However, having assessed the Scottish Government's and three additional bids, Deloitte concluded that the former represented the best return for creditors. It's since become clear that Ferguson's has yet to prove itself able to deliver large vessels on time, budget and to tender criteria. It's therefore my firm belief that the Scottish Government was right when it recently awarded the contract to build two new CalMac ferries to a Turkish shipbuilder. That notwithstanding, FMEL has proved that it can deliver smaller vessels on time, on budget and to high standard. I therefore believe that small vessel procurement should and will be funneled through FMEL and that continued success in building small ships will build, in turn, confidence and expertise in enabling future bids for larger vessels. Delivery of the Scottish Government's small vessel replacement programme will be absolutely crucial to improving the largest recovery service in my constituency, and I would like to renew my calls for the small vessel replacement programme to be expedited, given the high number of breakdowns with older vessels on the route. Earlier this month, a rope and sea kelp lodged in the NVLock Shirra's propeller blade, which meant that it had to be removed from service with substantial repairs that were required in dry dock. Relief vessels were unavailable due to outstanding technical faults, resulting in many people being stranded in Larsen on Cumbria for 21 hours. Besides ferries and marines, more obvious project management shortcomings, other decision-making actors cannot be exempted from criticism, including Transport Scotland, whose actions have at times been characterised by poor decision-making and excessive tolerance of risk and a lack of transparency and accountability. So, where does this leave us? First of all, a shipyard's newtive executive, David Tyneman, must deliver the Glinsanix and 802 and develop the yard so it will once again be able to compete. I welcome all the reports regarding the collaborative approach that the new CEO is taking closely working with Caledonian maritime assets limited, including through the temporary transfer of an experienced CMAL staff member to Ferguson's management team. Secondly, the Scottish Government must look at how ferry procurement, management and delivery can be reformed to improve transparency and accountability within the tripartite agreement between Transport Scotland, CMAL and CalMac. Project Neptune explored how institutional arrangements can be improved, although, frankly, I believe that CMAL and CalMac should merge, a suggestion that I first made in 2007. Finally, the Scottish Government, which has invested more than £2.2 billion in ferry services, has invested in infrastructure since 2007. Despite Labour's 36 per cent cut in capital allocation in the last year of the dying-brown Government, and continued with the Tories with a decade of austerity, we must continue to provide vital funding for our ports and vessels to improve services. I welcome the announcement of at least £580 million to 2026. No, Mr Simpson's calls for £1.4 billion over the next 10 years. However, it would be interesting to see some detail on where the extra money would come from, given capital funding from the UK Government will be cut by 9.7 per cent next financial year alone and the silence of the Tories on this matter during budget deliberations. Thank you, Mr Gibson. I now call on Stuart McMillan to be followed by Paul Sweeney for up to six minutes, please. I have said in this chamber before and I have also said to anyone that I talked to about the yard that my loyalty is to the yard, its workforce and also its future. Two weeks ago, when I was in the town, one of the gents who actually works at the yard, he—I was turning away to him about a number of things—about the yard in particular. I actually said to me that he is embarrassed to say that he works at the yard. For anyone who works in a facility to turn to say that they are embarrassed to work there, I find that absolutely important to say the least. This report that we have got in front of us today, I welcome this report. It is independent, it is impartial. Nobody can say that the Audit Scotland and the Auditor General are anything other than that. Sometimes the Audit Scotland reports are not comfortable reading. That is not comfortable reading, but it is independent, it is impartial and I welcome it. I will reference the sections from it. I also want to highlight that, in 2014, I did not expect the yards to go into liquidation. In 2019, I did not expect the Scottish Government to take the yard on, because once again it was going into liquidation. In the summer of 2021, I did not expect to be calling for a change of management at the yard. Certainly in 2022, I did not expect to be in this situation that we are in also. With the yard going into liquidation in 2014, that was a huge blow to the workforce and also to the Port Glasgow and Inverclyde community. I welcomed the new ownership of the yard and I was thankful for them for coming in. They not only saved the existing jobs, but they managed to help to build the yard workforce back up. I will be forever grateful to them for doing that. They also installed an apprenticeship scheme for the first time in many, many years. With this, they brought in the first ever female apprentice on the tools. I will think about that. I will think in for one moment. Once again, I will be forever grateful to the owners at the time for installing that apprenticeship scheme. With those actions underway, as reported in the Audit Scotland report, there clearly were other issues going on behind the scenes and also with the fabrication of the vessels. Page 10 of the report, sections 4 and 5, are helpful in that regard. I will quote a very small bit from section 5. Despite Seymal agreeing to FML's request to change the contract and the Scottish Government providing financial support, FML entered into administration into August 2019. Sections 18 and 19, pages 17 and 18, also go on to highlight. In early 2017, 18 months after Seymal had awarded the contract, FML complained to Seymal and the Scottish ministers about the procurement process at section 19. There was no evidence to suggest that the tender documentation was not understood by all bidders. Pre-contract documentation, including FML's bid, suggested that FML was aware of the risks. It was accepting at the point of contract award. We move on to the time when the Scottish Government took the yard on in 2019. Section 92 of the report, and I quote, the report concluded—in reference to the PwC report—that doing nothing would likely result in the insolvency of FML. In 2019, if the Scottish Government did not step in, if it did not go in to save the yard, the yard was going bust. The jobs were being lost. In reference to Mr Simpson's point earlier on, and Mr Greene's point earlier on, in 2019, the yard was shutting. The jobs were going. The ships certainly would not have been finished. They will be finished, but the ships would not have been finished. Also, section 96 and 97 are crucial in understanding how the Scottish Government came to own the yard. Fundamentally, the yard was going to shut anyway. The public of administrators in 9 August 2019 highlights that. The Scottish Government also stepped in to fund £6 million wage bill while it was in administration. That shows us the commitment of the Scottish Government to help to keep the yard open and support the workforce. Section 99 of the report also highlights that. I quote, the Scottish Government made the decision to nationalise the shipyard without a full and detailed understanding of the amount of work required to complete the vessels. They are likely costs or the significant operational challenges at the yard. I do not see how that can be a surprise to anybody, bearing in mind the other aspects that are highlighted in this section, in addition to section 3 and page 4. I quote, that the international recognised contract places full responsibility and risk for the design and build of the vessels with the shipbuilder and does not allow the buyer to intervene in the running of the project. Thus, if relationships have broken down, a lack of information has been shared by and also by law. The buyer, ultimately the taxpayer, the Scottish Government and its agencies, were not allowed to intervene in the running of the project, then a genuinely failed to see what more the Scottish Government could have done to obtain more information. I want to go on to CMAL for one brief moment. CMAL has come for a huge amount of criticism in recent years. I am looking at the audit of Scotland report today. I sincerely hope that the CMAL staff can feel a sense of some of the weight that is being lifted from their shoulders, because everything that has actually been thrown at them. They are obviously at a part to play, but there is no means to the core of the problem that has happened over the past few years. They are skilled people, they have got the expertise and they get vast experience and they know what they are doing. The fact that the audit Scotland report highlights their increasing role in the yard going forward, I think, is welcome. My final point is on the workforce. The workforce at the yard knows what they are doing. The two shops here at the yard know the yard inside out and back to the front, and the audit Scotland report talks about the additional investment that is required to make it competitive. Prior to FMAL, it was a shipyard in name, but it was a living working museum that had been a complete lack of investment in the yard for decades, despite the ships that have been launched at the yard. No investment had been put into that yard for decades, so I know that the workforce knows the skillset that is there, and I encourage the new chief executive to certainly work with the shop stewards, work with all the workforce and not sideline them that happened in the past. Thank you, Mr McMillan. Paul Sweeney, to be followed by Jenny Minto, for up to six minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Today's debate is long overdue, and I would like to thank Mr Simpson for bringing it to the chamber and also giving audit Scotland's report. It is also a timely one. The on-going saga at Ferguson's can only be described as a national scandal, much like many of their ill-fated industrial interventions since the Scottish Government took over the yard. It has been mishap after mishap. It all started in 2015 when ministers awarded that £97 million fixed price contract for two ferries, despite the Government's own procurement agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd Seamall being hostile to the shipbuilder. Rather than being a Team Scotland national approach to re-establishing commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde, that attitude bred a toxic relationship and long-running feud to which ministers steadfastly refused to intervene in, despite direct pleas from the shipyard management to the First Minister to appoint independent arbiters. That culminated in the shipyard going into administration and a botched Government takeover, which has left the taxpayer with a £25 million exposure due to Seamall forfeiting an insurance bond with HCC Insurance and then being successfully sued by the insurance company. When I raised that in June 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance claimed that I rewritten history and that she could not comment on the on-going legal dispute. In January, the court found the favour of the insurers, and in response to a written question about the same issue, the cabinet secretary told me that I had rewritten history and accepted that, and I quote Scottish ministers that accept the summary judgment in the English court proceedings. It was a botched takeover that was allowed by the failure to complete the Glen Sannocks to cost quality or schedule, meaning that it was launched in 2017 in a low state of outfit, with no bridge windows and a bulb is bound so defective that it has since had to be removed and replaced. Her sister ship hull number 802, planned to be launched in 2018, is still on the slip way and no sign of a firm launch date in sight. Or at Scotland now, estimate that the two ferries will cost £240 million, two and a half times the original price, and the company ran £100 million loss in its first year of state ownership. To add to this insults, this grievous injury, how have we the embarrassing situation now of a contract for the two newest ferries for Scotland's public land ferry operator being awarded the shipyard in Turkey instead of Scotland's public land shipyard, which did not even make the final shortlist? All the while, Tim Hare, who held the job of turnaround director at Ferguson's without a hint of irony, was pocketing £2,500 a day more than the managing director of BE Systems, the UK's most successful and largest shipbuilding company. There has been numerous changes of structure, ownership and leadership at Ferguson's, but one thing that has remained consistent throughout the presence of the First Minister. Her fingerprints are all over the botched takeover, all over the disputes between FEML and CMAL, and all over the ever-increasing costs to the taxpayer. It is about time that we heard some contrition on the part of the Government and an admission from the First Minister herself that she takes some person of responsibility for the mismanagement instead of claiming that our Government was somehow a white knight in what has become the single biggest public procurement disaster in Scottish history. We all know the failings at Ferguson's, but those failings undoubtedly have consequences. They have consequences for our airline communities who are left without these lifeline ferries, for our industrial base and capabilities, and for the local communities around Inverclyde to our left standing idly by, while contracts for Scottish ferries are won by overseas competitors. It is for those reasons that we cannot simply allow Ferguson's to continue on the path that has been on since 2017. We need a strategy that focuses on a workforce plan, a continuous drumbeat of contracts, and an ambition to see Shipbuilding in Scotland returned to its former glory as a global player. A recent report by the House of Commons all-party parliamentary group on shipbuilding and ship repair highlighted the workforce challenges facing the sector and recommended that a strategic workforce register is established to collate a database of individuals with interests, skills and capabilities relevant to shipbuilding, sustainment and supply chain industries. That would give a focus to a national effort to train up and fill the gaps, managing the workforce across different shipyards on a national basis. Public sector contracts in Scotland alone offer a massive opportunity to anchor a continuous merchant shipbuilding programme. There are 34 vessels on the Calomack fleet with an average lifespan of around 25 years. If Scottish shipyards were to be awarded the contracts for that entire fleet, like the Ministry of Defence does for the naval shipbuilders, it would mean a drumbeat of one new vessel coming out of a Scottish shipyard every nine months. However, at the current replacement rate, it will take 87 years to renew the entire Calomack fleet, which is obviously unsustainable. If returning shipbuilding in Scotland to its former glory was a genuine ambition of the Government, we would not be in the absurd position where a national asset like Inch Green dried up, one of the largest in Europe and less than a mile from Ferguson Marine's cramped and antiquated shipyard, is having its potential suppressed by its owners purely to give their Merseyside Shipyard subsidiary a competitive advantage. Instead, we have the Scottish Government ministers lauding the creation of 100 jobs and ship scrappage at Inch Green, many of them agency workers and workers on temporary contracts, at a vast facility built with public money that could feasibly create thousands of highly skilled, well-paid, secure shipbuilding jobs for the local community and the nation. If we have to have any intention of unlocking our potential as a nation, Inch Green should be subject to compulsory purchase order and heavily invested in as a national shipbuilding asset, with Scottish firms like Ferguson Marine, Malham Marine and Dales Marine forming the basis of a national effort to restore commercial shipbuilding at scale on the Clyde in collaboration with naval shipbuilders like Bee and Babcock. Fundamentally, we need to end the boom and bust feast and famine approach to shipbuilding that has plagued Scotland for the past decade. For too long, it has been the case that uncertainty and incompetence have dominated the shipbuilding landscape. It is an approach that means that there is no confidence to attract the sustained capital investment needed to establish world-class shipyard infrastructure and for a local supply chain ecosystem to flourish. More importantly, it is an approach that means that there is no foundation upon which to recruit and train a younger, skilled workforce that will be backbone of the industry for decades to come. Scotland has a proud shipbuilding industry. The shipyard is on the Clyde to produce world-class vessels, but the Government's record on that is not filled me with confidence. It should start to listen to people who know what they are talking about and want Scottish shipbuilding to succeed. You need to conclude, Mr Sween. Then we will start to turn the tide, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you very much indeed. We have no time in hand now, so members will have to stick to the allocator speaking limits and accommodate interventions in those limits. I will call Jenny Minto to be followed by Donald Cameron. Up to six minutes, please, Ms Minto. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As the MSP, with probably the highest number of ferry routes in my constituency and someone who lives on an island, I understand the shortcomings of the service only too well. Therefore, I have a bigger stake in its improvements than most sitting in this chamber. The minister's apology is very much appreciated. Since May last year, there have been some quick wins. Campervans must book. School minibuses get reduced fares, and the CalMac Communities Board has wider responsibilities. Those may seem small to those of you who do not live on islands, but they have made a difference. As others have said, the Scottish Government has committed £580 million to fund new ferries and port investments over the next five years. As part of that, on Monday, I travelled just two miles from here to Leith Docks, where the MV Utne is currently being transformed into the MV Lochfriessah to serve the island of Mull. To respond to Mr Kerr's intervention, the capacity on the chorus was 40 cars. The Utne is 34. Passenger numbers are down, so, yes, there is a reduction. However, this ferry is going to ply the route year round, a request that the island made five years ago, which is now coming into fruition. From my perspective, I think that that is a good result. As I said, that will provide a welcome addition to that route, as well as releasing the chorus to other routes, as the minister has said. In addition—this has been talked about as well—there will be two new ferries for Islay. Seam Islay announced the preferred bidder for this contract earlier this month. The new vessels were being an almost 40 per cent increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay route or reduction in emissions and improve the resilience of the wider fleet. The first vessel is expected to be delivered in October 2024 and will enter service following sea trials and crew familiarisation. The second vessel will follow in early 2025. There are further projects as well, the small vessel replacement programme, new vessels for the Danoone-Gurwch Cochregan Triangle and other services with the Mull consultation in early stages. However, it will come as no surprise that ferries top my email and are also top of people's agendas in my constituency visits. Importantly, I have many constituents who have ideas as to how the service could be improved and welcome the forthcoming publication of Project Neptune and the opportunity that this will give them to feed into the process. I ask the transport minister to listen to their suggestions. On structure, there are strong views about the split roles of Seamall and CalMac. I need to be clear that this is about the structures and not about the great teams, as Stuart McMillan highlighted, the great teams of employees in both organisations. Another proposal has been to get us through the months until the new vessels are ready as hiring a freight boat. It has been suggested that this could be used across several routes giving different islands benefit. In the last two weeks, I have used CalMac services to the islands of Bute, Gia and Mull. I am pleased to say that all the ferries ran to schedule and I reached destinations on time, if I may. I would like to drop a few pebbles into the water, which I hope the minister and her team will take account of. On Bute, some children use the ferry as though it is a school bus service. With free bus travel for under 22s, could something similar be introduced to ferries? Pensioners have concerns about price rises across the network, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. On both Bute and Gia, the ferry service is not bookable. Both islands want to keep it this way, but I wonder whether there is a way to prioritise bookings for locals making essential journeys, such as hospital appointments or funerals that have been mentioned throughout this debate, so that they can get off the island and return on the same day. I was on Mull at the weekend and the subject was raised by constituents there, too. While over the past few months, I have been having similar discussions with the Isle Ferry Group and CalMac, leading to meetings with Transport Scotland about an increase in commercial vehicles due to projected increase in whisky production and the impact that that has on the smaller or ad hoc freight carriers and, of course, other travellers, that gets to the nub of the problem. As with the current capacity constraints, there are different calls for space from residents wanting ease of travel, commercial vehicles serving businesses and also those whose businesses depend on tourists. I am pleased that the ministers offer to look into this to see if changes can be made. I am told that the Danish island of Samso has an island card that helps with a similar situation. I also attended a joint meeting of call and Tyree ferry groups that the minister referenced. They have organised meetings with Siemal, CalMac and Transport Scotland but feel as though they are hitting a bit of a wall. Their islands have suffered over this winter, going for periods without a ferry. The three storms in quick succession were the perfect storm alongside the required maintenance schedule that my colleague Jackie Dunbar referenced. I quote from a recent email that I know the minister has seen. The primary school on Cal has run out of heating oil and the impact on business and Tyree is now running at a rate of £1,450 lost for one guest house. I look forward to discussing those points further with the minister. 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. It is good news that the island's connectivity plan has been taken forward through the national transport strategy and the strategic transport projects review, which will also consider other potential options to connect our islands. Engagement and consultation on that will enable substantial public and community input. I know that my constituents are willing and are wanting to get involved as this is their lifeline service. Finally, on a positive note, if I may, when I travel... Not really, Ms Minto, you're now over time, I'm afraid. As briefly as possible. I will do it very, very briefly. When I travel between my home on island and the Parliament or any of my 23 islands, I am constantly impressed by the cheerful hard work and helpful attitude of ferry crews and port staff. Thank you, Ms Minto. I now call on Donald Cameron to be followed by Christine Grahame for up to seven minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to follow Jenny Minto, who made a very reasonable and moderate speech about the various ideas that people bring to the table and also can associate myself with the comments about ferry staff and those who work in ferry ports. Let me begin by mentioning an island in her constituency, the island of Mull, and take you back to Saturday 12 March this year, barely 11 days ago. Mull is, of course, relatively close to the mainland, still reliant on ferries. It has four routes. One, Craig Muir to Oben, the main one. Two, Tabor Moray to Kilchon. Three, the Mull to Iona ferry, serving a resilient but small community on Iona. And finally, Fishnish to Locarlin, less busy given the long road detour on the mainland, but still a crucial link. Now, here's a picture of ferry services on that day 11 days ago. All Craig Muir to Oben sailings between 8.15 in the morning to 6.40 in the evening cancelled. All Craig Muir to Oben sailings between 8.15 and 6.40 the day afterwards cancelled. All services between Tabor Moray and Kilchon cancelled. The Mull Iona route, the ferry had gone out of service the day before leaving Iona without service since 10 am that morning. And on the Fishnish to Locarlin route, the only one of Mull's routes to the mainland then operating, people had to make do with a smaller replacement vessel which was unable to carry commercial vehicles. One island, one day, one minimal skeletal service and all due to boats being taken out of service for repairs or other technical reasons. Not due to the weather, not due to Covid, not due to staff shortages, it is a case study of the sheer disarray that constitutes Scotland's ferry service. If this was unusual or abnormal then people might be willing to grant the Scottish Government some leeway. But the shocking thing is that it's not unusual, it's what qualifies as normal services, it's what people sadly have come to expect, it's what people on our islands have to put up with day in, day out. That's the truly scandalous aspect of this crisis. That's what should shame a government which has had control of the ferry network for a decade and a half. Some MSPs here have rightly concentrated on Ferguson Marine. Others have spoken about CalMac and Semal. We've been reminded how CalMac warned the Scottish Government in 2010 that one new ferry was needed every year simply to keep up. As Edward Mountain said, that now is two and a half ferries every year. Some have spoken about systemic problems, whether that be the incompetent approach to procurement or the ageing fleet itself with over half the boats passed their used by date. However, today I want to talk about the human aspect of all of this. Islanders, of course, accept that their way of life means that allowances must be made for disruption to travel on and off the islands. For those who don't need a ferry on a specific day and are able to wait, they can put up with the odd delay and cancellation. But not everyone can wait. Some people need to travel at once, and they need a robust and reliable service. The crofter who needs to get livestock to the mart, the seafood business who needs to get live shellfish to market, the patient with the hospital appointment simply cannot afford to miss, the services and trades that need to get to and from the islands for work, the accommodation providers who stand to lose bookings, even schooling can be affected. Let me return to Iona. It's been estimated that secondary school pupils from Iona, who have to travel to the new high school in Oban, have missed out on 30 per cent of their education due to a mixture of cancellations and the unreliability of early and late sailings from Iona. Almost a third of their education provision is 30 per cent. That's before a count has taken of the pandemic. Minister used to be a teacher. Does she think that that's acceptable? Human lives, human stories, people affected every day by this crisis. People who, if things do not improve, will leave. They will leave the islands. They will forsake their lives there, their jobs and their friends. We will have the depopulation. We all know is such a threat to island life. Particularly for young families of working age, the Failing Ferry Service is now a driver of depopulation. Ariane Burgess was right. She quoted a family from South East. This isn't a political point. It's been said the length and breadth of our islands. Let me quote the Ferry's Communities Board, who recently expressed their concern. They're a neutral body. They simply represent their communities. They said, while we are well used to living with the effects of weather on our ferry services and more recently Covid, the recent extent and duration of mechanical failures on multiple vessels has led to massive disruption right across the network. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be a one-off. They carry on with such an ageing fleet in our challenging environment. This represents a real threat to our island's ability to retain and attract people, ensure services that are sufficiently reliable and at prices that permit viable communities and thereby avoid depopulation. I urge the minister to travel to the islands and listen to the islanders and speak to them. Don't just consult the civil servants in Transport Scotland, Seaman, CalMac and the vast panoply of vested interests here. A year ago—sorry, a few years ago, this Government passed the Island Scotland Act, an act that requires public services to be tested in terms of their impact on island communities. An act that, at the time, was much trumpeted by the Scottish Government, would ensure island proofing. Can I suggest that the very first place to start when it comes to island proofing is to sort out the mess that is Scotland's ferry services? There is a question of responsibility. Willie Rennie was correct. We have hardly had any apologies and I know and welcome what was said at the start of this debate. We have had no resignations, though, despite this saga lasting years and years. Has anyone in a position of authority ever stepped up and accepted the blame for this? Has anyone in CalMac, Seaman or Transport Scotland ever accepted their role in this fiasco? Has anyone in Government, any one of the many transport ministers, just once taken the blame? To conclude, people can blame the weather, they can blame the pandemic, they can blame the ferry agencies, they can blame the operators, but ultimately what this constitutes is a failure of Government, this Government, a failure to serve those who live and work on every island in Scotland, a failure that will not be forgotten, still less forgiven and a failure that should belatedly shame this Government into taking action. Thank you, Mr Cameron. We now move to the final speaker in the open debate. Christine Grahame, up to six minutes please, Ms Grahame. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. At this late in the debate in my contribution, I'll focus on the actions of PNO and Fire and Weir, which is referenced in the SNP amendment and has been referenced by some Labour contributors. Let me first pay tribute to my colleague Emma Harper, who would have been here today taking part but her energies are used elsewhere, as she stands shoulder to shoulder with sack workers that came round, whereas she has rightly said that PNO services are essential to the local economy, critical route for many businesses here in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in Ireland, not only supporting jobs in the port but in the local businesses, supporting the ferry routes. Incidentally, the local MP, Alastair Jack, reputedly Scotland's man in the cabinet, had much of an impact in saying about this, but he hasn't got much of an impact generally speaking. Now, DP World, the logistics company based in Dubai, as we know, owns PNO, and how many of us knew that before this had happened? He sacked 800 workers online, from march them off vessels to be replaced by cut price agency workers, ruthlessly casting aside workers who tried to keep the company afloat during a pandemic. The thing is, PNO ferries insist that it did not break the law when it fired them without notice or consultation. Rightly here and at UK level, politicians challenged the company's claim that laws were not broken with this shock sacking. If it turns out that it has not broken the law, then it raises questions about UK employment law. The defence may be that all vessels involved were registered outside the UK, and the relevant authorities in each case had been notified. Though it may be that, under UK employment law, workers' rights are based on the jurisdiction from which they work. In other words, because they work in the UK, they are covered by UK law. On that basis, no consultation and so on, then the law may have been broken. At the end of the day, even if that is the case, that would be a pyrrhic victory for employees, as the legal dispute would be drawn out as they remain jobless, yet still having financial commitments, mortgages, overdrafts and so on, also with the possibility of legal costs. There has been a response from the CEO, Peter Heppethwaite, to Business Secretary Kwasi Kirteng, dated March 22. I quote, The very clear statutory obligation in the particular circumstances that applied was for each company to notify the competent authority of the state where the vessel is registered. He wrote that notification had been made to the relevant authorities on March 17, and no offence had been committed regarding notifying the Secretary of State. Now, this is relevant and I'll come to why later. Now, there's been a lot of hand-ringing by Grant Chaps and others, but this is the very Tory Government that blocked, just last year, an attempt to pass a law that would deter employers from using fire and rehab tactics to bully workers into lower-paid jobs, and I support Labour colleagues in this matter. In fact, introducing employment trade union rights dismissal and replacement engagement bill to second reading the House of Commons, Labour's Barry Garner said that his bill would require businesses to meaningfully consult with their workers and worker representatives when such restructuring is required. I want to make my points. No fire and rehab in short-hand, but during the debate, politicians on all sides of the House appear to agree that fire and rehab was morally wrong, but Conservative MPs pushed back against the need for legislation saying that updated ACAS guidance to businesses should be enough to tackle the problem. Well, it isn't. The UK Government then voted down a closure motion, which would have allowed the House to vote for against a bill and proceeded to fully bust it until it ran out of time. Finally, Conservative MP Peter Bones said that it seems to me that this is talking about something for next year. There are 17 bills to be debated today. Why is it urgent to put this statement on today on private member's time rather than the Government? A hope, he lives to rule those words. Let me conclude, Presiding Officer, by reminding the Tory Benchys Opposite that of the UK ferry contacts for ferries that did not or could not be delivered, let us not forget the gormless grailing previous UK transport minister when ferry contracts signed to ensure critical imports could reach the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit were cancelled, costing taxpayers a further £50 million. Contracts worth £89 million with British Refers and DFDS to secure ferry space for vital goods across the channel were cancelled. According to the National Audit Office, estimates in February this year the cost of compensation to ferry operators were terminated to be up to £56 million. Then, of course, the grand finale, £1 million paid by Chris Grayling to consultants for a £14 million contract with Seaborn Freight, which was scrapped. I've emerged. They didn't build ferries, they didn't build ships, they didn't build boats. This is the final part about Grayling. He amended the UK legislation in 2018 so that the Secretary of State did not have to be notified of mass redundancies on ships registered overseas. I wonder why. So it could be that P&O are off the legal loop thanks to Grayling. With that kind of track record, he'll soon be knighted in the House of Lords, where they put all their failed ministers. I would just remind the chamber that name-calling is not necessary in these debates, and I now call on Rhoda Grant for up to six minutes, Ms Grayling. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I associate myself with Neil Bibby's comments about P&O? Are ferry workers provide lifeline services and should not be treated like this? I would also like to pay tribute to CalMac workers who also provide lifeline ferry services. They, nor the workers in Ferguson's, are responsible for the situation that we find ourselves in. Let us be clear that the blame for the ferry fiasco lies squarely up the door of the Scottish Government. Seamall told them in no uncertain terms that the FML contract, by entering into, was a huge risk and they ignored them. Scottish ministers decided to steam roller on and, as Graham Simpson said, we still don't know why, because the decision and the reasons were not documented. That was a decision that involved an estimated £97 million of public money, and we do not have a properly documented reasoning. That decision has now cost two and a half times as much and not even a rowboat to show for it. Only Jackie Dunbar can see that as an achievement. The minister must tell us today why those decisions were made. That lack of transparency is absolutely unacceptable. That is not just about an incompetent Government that has laundered public money while taking selfies on front of ferries that have been painted on windows. That is about the communities that they serve. People cannot get to hospital or go to funerals. People who watch businesses fail because they cannot get their product off island. It is Government's responsibility to boost the economy, not kill it. Ariane Burg has talked about the three families leaving US. They will not be on their own because of the ferry fiasco. Some businesses are losing thousands of pounds with each failed sailing, others on a much smaller scale, but they are losing their weekly income because of and facing rising costs at the same time. Katie Clark talked about the need for communities to be involved in planning the ferry fleet. If they had been involved, we would not be in this mess now. CalMac has suffered one of the worst winters in their history. They have had to do it with one hand tied behind their back, creaky vessels with frequent technical breakdowns, vessels that are not equipped for changing climate and worsening weather, infrastructure that does not allow flexibility to deploy vessels where they are needed, not enough funding to allow ferries to operate at full capacity, even facing Covid impacts and accruing a side. I am advised that CalMac alone would require a minimum of £7 million additional funding just to employ the crew that they would need to be able to meet demand. The minister cannot pass the buck to CalMac. Their action plan would include both boats and crew, and that is being withheld by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government blames the weather, but if it has the wrong boats in the wrong place, it cannot sail in bad weather. As Neil Bibby said, our communities deserve a public inquiry into how they have been failed so catastrophically over hulls 1801 and 802. Add to that the exposure highlighted by Paul Swinney that the Government still faces. It is not good enough for the Scottish Government to blame everyone else, where the blame sits squarely up their door. The apology today is welcome, but in giving it, the minister continues to deflect blame. Graham Simpson highlighted the average age of the fleet, which the Scottish Government was aiming to take down to 12 and a half years, but it has soared to over 25 years. Katie Clark pointed out that the 25 years are the accepted operational life of a ferry. She said that the operational issues are due to the ageing fleet and not due to CalMac. That is why Seamall is tendering for two new ferry engines, because the ones that they replace are obsolete and you cannot procure replacement parts for them. The Scottish Government has no strategy, no plan and a set of ministers that have proven themselves at best naive, most likely incompetent or worse. Willie Rennie pointed out that incompetence is not just reserved to ferry procurement, but it runs through the SNP Government like a stick of rock. It has not saved fergusons, but it has damaged them. My heart goes out to the worker that Stuart McMillan talked about. The Scottish Government has a duty to restore the reputation of the yard and safeguard those jobs, as Paul Sweeney highlighted. In order to have an adequate fleet, one that meets the bare minimum of community needs, we should be launching a new vessel every two years. Today, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance refused to guarantee that those two new ferries would come into operation and refused to take responsibility if they did not. We need to streamline an effective strategy. Instead, we have planning and operation that is split across multiple quangos and operators. The right-hand does not know what the left-hand is doing, overseen by an incompetent Government. Our communities are beyond desperate. They deserve better. It is time for the First Minister to take control. I call on Jamie Halcro Johnston to wind up up to... Apologies, Mr Halcro Johnston. I call on Kate Forbes to wind up up to seven minutes. I do not know whether that was a promotion or otherwise. I would like to start by echoing my colleague in her apology to island communities and also start by paying tribute to the hard work of all the staff who support our ferry networks, the people who work in all weathers and throughout the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 to ensure that our lifeline services provide a reliable and resilient service to the communities that they serve. It goes without saying, and many have said it this afternoon, that ferries are a lifeline. For our island communities, they are the equivalent of a road or otherwise in more urban areas. Our island communities rely on them for access to employment, for health provision, for education and to see their loved ones. We have heard anecdotes this afternoon to that effect. They are also essential to support a vibrant and growing tourism sector and sustaining local businesses and enabling the distribution of products and providing vital supplies to support local trade. I emphasise at several points this afternoon my constituency and the islands within my constituency. Why? Because I understand the impact directly. If Jenny Minto's emails refer to ferry services on a regular basis, it is so also do mine. In fact, Donald Cameron's illustration referenced several locations within my constituency. Jenny Minto talked about the MV Lochfritia, which would secure the return of the MV Krusk to the Malig armadale route. That is an example of an improvement to the service, which my constituents have certainly been waiting on for a number of years and will considerably improve the resilience on the Malig armadale route this summer. We are working on the small vessel replacement programme, new vessels for Danoone and Kilcregan, further major vessel replacements for Mull and South Uist, and replacement freight ships for Orkney and Shetland. As my colleague Edward Mountain highlighted, the deal with Ferguson's was based on a fixed price with milestone payments, but that price spiralled out of control. We have always seen the delays and heard all about today. Chief Executive of CML advised me this week that relating to the agreement with the Turkish Shard, the contract has been agreed on a fixed price basis and also the agreed milestone payments. What is going to be different this time? We have learned a number of lessons from the previous procurement, and those are well documented. As the member has just referenced, the fact that, for example, full refund guarantees are embedded in future contracts. Back to the communities, though. Over the next four years, we will introduce four major vessels to the Clyde and Hebrides Network. Glen Sannocks and Hull 802 are expected to be in service from summer 2023 and winter 2023-24. The Islay vessel 1 is expected in service from summer 2024 and Islay vessel 2 from winter 2024-25. In addition, as has already been referenced, MV Lochfrita is on course to be deployed on the Cregnure open route from May this year. I would quite like to make some progress, and I have limited time. I want to pay particular tribute to four constituency MSPs, Jenny Minto, Alistair Allen, Kenny Gibson and Stuart McMillan, because Jenny Minto, Alistair Allen and Kenny Gibson all represent constituencies that rely on ferry routes. They met Jenny Gilruth, the transport minister, last week, and they directly represent their constituents robustly. They are not slow in representing the views that constituents pose to them. They are also actively involved in looking for solutions to the problems that their constituents face. Alistair Allen has already raised the point about the need to engage more with communities, with suggestions and solutions that are being progressed. He has also raised the issue of the need for more capacity in the Western Isles, particularly, although Ueg to Tarbrott services out of action later this year. Jenny Minto talked about the fact that, as an islander, the stakes for her in getting those issues resolved are particularly high. She talked about bute children who are using the ferry as a bus service, and the fact that constituents want to get truly involved in the decision process—a point that has been made a number of times by Katie Clark and Rhoda Grant, which I would agree with—and the need to balance the different users of those vessels—islanders, businesses and visitors—and how that can be better managed. We have already spoken at length about Ferguson Marine, and I wanted to use some of my time this afternoon to talk about that again. I have already set out the scale of the challenge, but it is also our commitment to progress further. Progress has not been as fast as we would have liked, but we are progressing further. In terms of the importance of the workers in the yard, many people have paid tribute to the workers in the yard. Stuart McMillan has been frequent in his representation of the workers' views, and particularly the shop stewards' views, in ways that have delivered results. The call for a closer working relationship with SEMAL, the importance of having a pipeline of talent through the apprenticeship scheme, and ensuring that leadership is ultimately accountable. Those shop stewards and those workers know the yard and their trade, and I can assure them that Stuart McMillan represents them and their interests vigorously to me, certainly. There has been talk about the need for significant increased investment in ferries and ferry procurement. I am always open, as the chamber knows, to additional asks for budget. I am happy to be corrected, but I cannot think of a single time in the last three budgets that I have introduced when either the Conservatives or the Labour Party have made additional ferry funding a key requirement. The exception to that, to be fair, is the Liberal Democrats and, obviously, SNP members. I look forward to next year's budget, not knowing who will be taking it forward, to hear from the Labour Party and the Conservatives additional funding for our ferries front and centre of their asks. As I close, we recognise the work that needs to be done, the importance of the ferries, ensuring that there is a robust and renowned shipbuilding industry here in Scotland. That debate has fleshed out those issues in more detail, and I look forward to progressing those issues with Jenny Gilruth. Thank you, and I now call on Jamie Halcro Johnston to wind up. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As an islander, particularly today's debate, has been an important one, and it has been illuminating, although I suspect not in the way that the Scottish Government would have hoped. For far too many years now, there has been a slow blazing fire, where a Scottish Government ferry strategy should be. That has had real impact, not only in my own region, the Highlands and Islands, but across other parts of Scotland too. We are all guilty of sometimes looking too much at the symptoms. We are annoyed by cancellations. We get upset over the impact on the economic recovery of our communities. Or, as many have done today, we focus on the most obvious rusting reminders of ministerial failure that sit unfinished on the bank of the Clyde. The Glen Sannocks, as Edwin Mountain highlighted, its wooden windows and fake funnels launch with a fanfare that must now make even this, First Minister, cringe with embarrassment. As Neil Bibby said, ministers should stop heading down there. We are very quick to head down there when there were PR ops, not so much now though. While we must also take a real look at the causes and solutions, underlying it all is the Scottish Government that has taken remote and island communities for granted. A Government that has more than any other in the history of devolution shied away from structural change in favour of showmanship. One that has placed long-term problems that need big solutions in the too difficult pile. Now, after almost a decade and a half in power, the consequences of that approach are showing in almost every part of our lives today. Too many examples of those consequences have come from around the chamber today. What I want to emphasise, however, is the impact that that has on the lives of communities that ferry serve. I mentioned recovery, and this is a key area. At vital parts of this two-year pandemic, businesses and workers have sought to get things back on track. To bring in money when they could, often after long periods have been unable to operate at all. But too often, communities have been hampered in that recovery by the problems with their ferry lengths. For some parts of our economy, this has been a longer-standing problem, one that has seen some of our most fragile communities left behind by choices made for them here in Edinburgh. For some, it has meant poorer access to public services, as others have highlighted, islands having to miss rarely available appointments on the mainland because of lack of transport options. While isolation has been one of the worst parts of this pandemic for many people, for some folk reliant on an unreliable network, that isolation was made worse. There has yet to be a clear strategic look at Scotland's ferries in the round. The Scottish Government has attempted to answer concerns in a piecemeal and short-termist way. Often it is broken promises on fare funding on RET and the Northern Isles. First we get the pledges, then they become ambitious targets and finally aspirational dates and the diary to be conveniently forgotten. Our islands have too often seen ministers visit, make promises and then have watched those promises sail away off into the sunset never to be met. If only the ferry network was that predictable. This will take an entirely different approach to resolve. We are calling today for an inquiry into the repeated failures to make provision for renewing our aging fleet. Above all we need to examine the sustainability of the fleet and delivering current levels of service. We know that not only are the franchise fleets in need but also those operated by the two local authorities in Orkney and Shetland. At the same time any strategic examination of ferries must also make credible estimate of the costs and advantages of fixed links. Colleagues will know that these fixed links can take a number of forms and could be part of a key transport network in the Northern Isles Willie Rennie highlighted. Where real benefit can be demonstrated which I believe in many cases it can be we should get on with the job of building sooner rather than later. We must be realistic about the needs of our ferry fleet going forward to be able to review and set out needs for the coming years and decades. That will take a level of honesty and commitment to funding and to the sort of contingencies that are essential in operations such as these. As we look forward to reducing carbon emissions where do our ferries stand in that question? The Scottish Government can hardly claim to have any role of leadership when we're buying up vessels from abroad, disposed of as a switch to renewable alternatives. Norway aims to have an entirely electric car ferry fleet by 2025. Where will Scotland stand at that point? We know that the Scottish Government's decision to buy the Northern Isles boats has put them even further away from their targets on reduced emission vessels. At the heart of these decisions must be the communities themselves. The future of routes of provision of resourcing should not be decisions taken in St Andrew's house or within Transport Scotland alone. It shouldn't be left up to ministers or officials who understandably communities have little confidence in. They should be made with a consultation and collaboration of people who defend on ferries. But that simply doesn't appear to be on the agenda of this Government, as highlighted by the local council where the western Isles still has no one on the board of CalMac, the very operator that provides vital lifeline services to those islands. Presiding Officer, there have been a number of notable contributions today. My college Graham Simpson highlighted that NASA designed and built rockets to go to the moon's sea of tranquility quicker than it has taken the SNP to build a replacement ferry to get to Tarbot. He also highlighted two figures relating to how much is needed to invest in our ferries fleet. Former Transport Minister Graham Day has reported and suggested that it would take 1.5 billion over 10 years, and our figure is an estimate of 1.4 billion. Edward Mountain noted that Scotland now needs to build two and a half ferries every single year for 10 years just to get back on track, but there is also an inherent issue with the Scottish shipbuilding or with contracts from Government. Y Yarddon Scotland, having the last few years alone delivered two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy and are currently producing type 26 and type 31 frigates for the UK Government. Speaking about the ferries at Ferguson's Jamie Greene rightly highlighted that despite the endless failures, the delays, the cost increases, the people and communities let down. No one in this SNP Government has been held to account. My colleague Donald Cameron spoke passionately about the degradation of the service that the Western Isles have come to expect and its potential to further the problem of depopulation and the impact on school children on Iona of unrival ferry links with Obam. There has been a growing crisis in our ferry services for some time now. A programme of recovery will be one that stands with a strand of thought in things out, but as we have made clear, it will not be the only action that is needed. Again, we need a long-term strategic approach to ensure that these services remain sustainable, remain operational and can improve for the communities we serve. I hope that the minister and her colleagues have noted the many examples outlined today. I hope that the cabinet secretary recognises and accepts that this is not good enough now and that it is getting worse. Our constituents are watching. They are desperate for better from this Government. I hope that every MSP from across this chamber, every MSP who genuinely cares about the future of those communities reliant on ferries, will support our motion today. That concludes the debate on Scotland's ferries. It is now time to move on to the next item of business, which is consideration of business motion 3768, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau, on changes to tomorrow's business. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press their request-to-speak button now, and I call on George Adam to move the motion. Thank you minister. No member has asked to speak against the motion, therefore the question is that motion 3768 be agreed. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. The next item of business is consideration of business motion 3746, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau, on setting out a business programme. Any member who wishes to speak against the motion should press their request-to-speak button now, and I call on George Adam to move the motion. Thank you minister. No member has asked to speak against the motion, therefore the question is that motion 3746 be agreed. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. The next item of business is consideration of parliamentary bureau motion 3750, on approval of an SSI. I ask George Adam, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau, to move the motion. Thank you minister. I call on Willie Rennie. This instrument sees the Scottish Government raised disability benefits by just 3.1 per cent in lock step with the Department of Work and Pensions. That is 3 per cent behind the inflation figures announced this morning, and potentially 5 per cent behind the inflation figures experts are predicting. That is going to hit people directly in their pockets. People with disabilities often have equipment such as electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters that gobble up electricity with fuel prices soaring they face real hardship. This decision is going to push more people into poverty. We have called for the UK Government to lift disability benefits, but it is not good enough for the SNP and the Green Government to say that it has to move with the UK Government on that. People were promised a better system seven years ago. I argued for more powers for this Parliament. All parties supported the devolution of social security powers worth £4 billion. Only Scottish ministers continue to ask the DWP to run the system for them under their agency agreement, because the Scottish Government still is not ready. That is a failure on its part to use the full powers of devolution. It has left people with the DWP for years and years. The result of that is that people are at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis, seeing support drop potentially five points behind inflation. I am glad that the Scottish Government is lifting the number of devolved benefits by 6 per cent. I only wish that the Scottish and UK Governments were doing the same for the disability benefits that thousands rely on. For that reason, Scottish Liberal Democrats cannot vote for this SSI this evening. I am sure that Mr Rennie will welcome the launch of adult disability payment first pilot phase on Monday and appreciate the position as we launch the disability benefit after successfully launching a child disability benefit. We are also undertaking the transfer of those in Scotland who are receiving disability benefits from the UK Government Department for Work and Pensions into Social Security Scotland in a safe and secure way. Although that process is undertaken, we cannot create a two-tier system where individuals paid by Social Security Scotland are paid more than clients whose cases have not yet transferred to the Scottish system. That transfer will be undertaken as quickly but also as safely and securely as possible. The order under consideration today operates benefits for which we have executive competence but which are currently administered by the DWP under agency agreement on behalf of Scottish ministers as we undertake safe and secure transfer. Those include attendance allowance, disability living allowance, gearers allowance, industrial injuries scheme benefits, personal independence payment and severe disability allowance. We have no discretion around the level by which we increase those benefits. The agency agreements in place with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which allow DWP to deliver those benefits on behalf of Scottish ministers, mean that we are committed to operating those benefits at the same rate as the DWP does. Therefore, they are operated by 3.1 per cent in line with the September CPI. It is a matter for Scottish ministers to make an order affecting the upgrade, which is what you see before Parliament today. I was disappointed, as others were, that the Chancellor did not take the opportunity today to further increase benefits to support people who need it most to deal with the rising living costs. In contrast, the Scottish Government is acting to help households. With the Scottish benefits where we have discretion to go further, we are acting urgently in response to growing cost of living pressures. We will provide additional support by further increasing several forms of devolved social security benefits and assistance from 3.1 per cent instead to 6 per cent in separate regulations, which will be before the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 31 March. The next item of business is consideration of three parliamentary bureau motions, and I asked George Adam on behalf of the parliamentary bureau to move motions 3747 to 3749 on approval of SSIs. Minister, the question on these motions will be put at decision time. There are five questions to be put as a result of today's business, and the first is the amendment 3712.2 in the name of Jenny Gilruth, which seeks to amend motion 3712 in the name of Graham Simpson on Scotland's ferries be agreed. Are we all agreed? The Parliament is not agreed, therefore we will move to a vote, and there will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system.