The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1587 contributions
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
Without giving how much you could shave off the tender that Ferguson could make for the small vessels fleet, can you give an idea of the relationship between capital investment from the Scottish Government and cost savings on any future procurement?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
Technically, you have surpassed the seating requirements of your client. That is what I am trying to get at.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
I do not think that this is contentious at all. I just want clarity. I assume that you want to curtail my line of questioning, which is quite a mundane line of questioning actually. I just want clarity. Thank you.
Let us get that clarity now. Did the original document say 127 cars and 16 lorries all at the same time? If you are right, convener, I am happy to apologise, but I just wanted clarity on that. I was not saying that you were wrong.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
Convener, let me apologise to you if I was a little bit prickly in our exchange there. I was not trying to undermine your questioning; I genuinely wanted to get clarity to better understand it. If I have done that, my apologies to you, convener.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
That would make it more palatable to the public purse.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
I will make the briefest of comments rather than ask a follow-up question. I am not trying to be awkward about the issue. It appears to me that, under your tutelage, Ferguson and the workforce representatives whom I can see sitting in the public gallery have come through a really difficult period and a quick learning curve in recent years in fixing a lot of errors that predecessors made, and Ferguson is very close to being in robust health. However, for additional taxpayers’ money to go in, we have to be very clear and transparent about what we are getting for our money. It almost seems that Ferguson could be held to a higher standard than otherwise would have been the case because of what has happened previously.
I hope that we get to a position at which appropriate capital investment could be made, we can be clear about the efficiencies that that would give to the yard, and we can retain strategic commercial shipbuilding and the workforce in Scotland. However, we need transparency about what we get for our money.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
I have a much more mundane question, coming back to clarification on Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. I do not know whether other members have questions on this topic.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
I am sorry if I get the numbers wrong—the exchange between you and the convener was complicated—but was it always intended that the original design would hold 127 cars and 16 lorries all at the same time? My understanding was that that was not the case.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
It would be good to hear from the witnesses, convener.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 27 February 2024
Bob Doris
In my head, £23 million or whatever at today’s prices, invested now, would do everything that you wanted the yard to do, but it could be phased in over a longer period of time and there would be different degrees of efficiencies.