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In the previous evidence session—I appreciate that you may not have heard this—Iain Hardie, the head of legal affairs at Petroineos, suggested that the Government was pretty much made aware a year ago that the refinery was likely to close, although it was not given the date. Is that accurate?

We are told that the Government’s just transition plan for Grangemouth is likely to come up sometime next year. That may be less than a year away from the refinery’s closing. Are we dealing with this urgently enough? What potential impact will the plan have on supporting workers who are likely to lose their jobs from 2025? It looks as though the timescale is not urgent enough.

We have already heard the concerns about the Grangemouth future industry board. I am absolutely unclear about what it has done. We do not even seem to have an assessment of the job losses that are likely to result because of the announcement. We know that 400 direct jobs will likely be lost, but we do not seem to know what the impact will be on jobs in the supply chain. Do you think that you are dealing with this urgently enough, given that the just transition plan might come out less than a year from the refinery’s closing?

To return to the point, what is the long-term blockage? You do not have a queue of people at the door wanting to buy the airport. You have said very positive things about the company making a profit, so why is there no queue at your door to buy it? What is the blockage? Is it the criteria? What are the reasons why you have not accepted any bids so far?

Mr Gray, you said that the Government’s involvement in Prestwick has allowed it not only to survive but to thrive. It is 10 years since the Government bought the airport, so why has there been no bid for it that the Government has found to be credible? What is blocking the sale?

Gordon MacDonald made a point about the criteria that you have set for a sale, including those on repayment of loans and on jobs. Notwithstanding the fact that the airlines are separate from the airport, is there a criterion that passenger services must be maintained? Would you agree to a sale that included the removal of passenger flights from the airport?

Just to be clear, is that because the level of profit at the moment means that you cannot invest, and you have not received any money from the Government since 2019, so you are not able to invest in big projects.

You say that the airport is in a good financial position. It is making a profit, but you did not mention the fact that the £43.4 million that the Government loaned to Prestwick is now valued at only £11.6 million, which is a potential loss to the taxpayer of millions of pounds. Do you anticipate those loans, or part of them, being paid back, or will that have to be part of any sale criteria?

Mr Forgie mentioned the previous Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee sessions, which I remember well. You said that the airport has changed a lot since then and is a strong asset, which I very much agree with. Given that, why has the Scottish Government not so far considered any bid for sale of the airport to be acceptable?

Are there any credible bids on the table at the moment?

So, since the sale of the airport in 2013, no bids have gone to the Scottish Government with a recommendation for sale.