Chamber and committees

My senior officials, led by Colin Cook, have regular engagement with the airport. We sit on the operations board and have responsibility, as set out in the management statement, for strategy for the airport. We have close involvement, but day-to-day operational decisions are commercial matters for the management and board.

I would be happy to do that. My understanding is as was set out in the earlier evidence session, but I am happy to seek further confirmation of that from UK ministers.

I thank Ms Tweed for that question, because it sets out a key consideration of our strategic assets—that of cost and value. The cost outlay that has been made to ensure that there is a financial return for the taxpayer is an important consideration that has a bearing on our decision on the overall value.

Along with the chair and the chief executive, Mr Cook and I have set out the wider economic value of the airport, and that the airport site is a hub for supporting economic activity in the Ayrshire regional economic partnership area. It is critical that any decision that we take maximises the hard financial value for taxpayers’ investment, but it must also consider the economic impact on the region in terms of jobs and new business opportunities.

A number of considerations will be taken, should there be further expressions of interest in acquiring the airport, as I hope there will be.

It is clear that we expect a commitment to ensuring continued passenger activity at the airport.

That is where the consideration of the hard financial position and the wider value would come into play. I hope that Mr Fraser understands that there might need to be pragmatism in that regard, depending on what the bid looked like and on the wider factors that it took into account, such as—on Mr Smyth’s point—the wider investment that the bidder might seek to make in Glasgow Prestwick airport. However, that would be subject to discussion on a case-by-case basis. I underline that we would obviously look to realise the maximum return possible to the public purse.

You heard pretty clearly from the leadership team in your earlier session that its focus is on growing the business and ensuring that profitability continues to spiral upwards, which makes it inherently marketable to the private sector. That focus makes the airport a good asset for the Scottish Government, ensuring a return for the public purse. The strategy of making the airport a strong and commercially viable business is also conducive to moving it back into the private sector.

I have to be careful, because I have two interests: a responsibility in determining some of those applications and the fact that we have shareholder ownership of the airport. Suffice it to say that I am aware of the situation. I heard the airport’s evidence this morning and, on my visit, I heard clearly its feeling about the impact of neighbouring wind farms.

The reporter has gone through a process, has concluded and has made a recommendation, which ministers have accepted. Obviously, I expect the airport to comply with the decision of the reporter and to ensure that there is an on-going negotiation with wind farm developers in order to ensure that a fair settlement is reached.

As soon as we possibly can.

Again, earlier this morning, panel members contradicted the point that Mr Smyth is making. They said that the finance that they currently have available is sufficient for the work that they are seeking to undertake. There is nothing to prevent them from coming to us with a bid for finance or from going to the market to seek it, if that is required.

I do not disagree with Mr Smyth’s question. However, the evidence from panel members this morning suggested that that is not an issue that they are facing or concerned about. We continue to have discussions with them about the work that they are looking to do and the opportunities that they are looking to realise, and we continue to support them in any way possible to ensure that those opportunities are realised.