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So the Government would have known in April that there was an issue around the stairwells because of the 1261.

If it is so complex, what does that mean for the maintenance of the vessels over their lifespan? Does it mean that it will be a lot more expensive to keep them running?

The dual-fuel aspect has added a lot of complexity to the project. However, one of the unsuccessful bidders on 801 and 802 has since delivered four dual-fuel vessels of roughly similar size for a lot less money. Have you learned anything from that company? Are you in communication with it? How was it able to deliver dual-fuel capability when you have not been able to?

As a committee, we should have been told, in just the same way as the cabinet secretary was told two days before, of the issues that were looming. I think that that would have just been a courtesy to the committee. I will leave it there, convener.

So it would have been just after April that you received the rejection of that document and you informed CMAL and Transport Scotland at that time.

We asked the cabinet secretary when he became aware of issues with the MCA and he said that it was on 28 June, when he received a submission that

“set out the requirement for FMPG to install additional escapes in the upper deck areas.”

What I cannot understand is that, two days later, we had an update from you that had only a fleeting mention of the MCA and no mention of additional stairways having to be installed. Why was the committee not told at that opportunity that additional staircases had to be installed? The cabinet secretary knew two days before.

Could the complexity of the engine management system not potentially cause issues? Are the systems not more complex than what was needed?

That £70 million figure is still a lot less than £200 million and £160 million. It seems that, instead of building two vessels, we have built a gravy train. That is a huge amount of money. What has happened to that extra £220 million? Has it all gone to contractors? Has it gone on things such as the installation of the wrong equipment, which has had to be taken out and scrapped? Where has that money gone?

However, if you were building the ferries again, the cost would be a lot less, as you said earlier.

I come back to the point that you made at the start—you said that these two ferries are more complex than a type 26 frigate. That sounds incredible. How on earth did we get into that situation?