Chamber and committees

I will need to reply in writing to provide full clarity on that for you. It is also appropriate for me to say that it is not appropriate for me to intervene in the decision making of the MCA, or in the negotiations between—

I will provide detail on that in writing in consultation with David Tydeman, convener. My understanding is that discussions have been on-going with the MCA on all aspects of 801 and 802 over a long period, but I will make sure that I give the full detail and clarity for you in writing.

So they have.

There were a number of questions there; I will try to take them in turn. On the first one, the authority that I gave to proceed related specifically to 802, not 801, because 801 is close to delivery, so there was no issue with cost there. On 802, I needed to consider any additional cost overrun, and I continue to do so, along with the wider elements that I have a responsibility to consider, such as the local economy and the island communities having the ferries as quickly as possible. I suspect that I would still have given ministerial authority, given what we know now.

On the points that you make about further regulatory interactions, I know that Ferguson Marine continues to discuss those matters with Lloyds and to have an iterative sign-off process, which will continue. I hope that the process will not be impacted on by what we are discussing. On the manufacturer’s warranty, CalMac is responsible for negotiations between it and Ferguson Marine. I know that those discussions are on-going and, where required, I will ensure that I am kept abreast of them and ensure that CalMac gets the ferries as quickly as possible and in a way that meets the contracted demands.

As I said to the convener, I will make sure that further detail is provided on those discussions. I will need to consult Mr Tydeman, who has responsibility for that interaction.

I will need to consult Mr Tydeman on the discussions with the MCA in order to ensure that I accurately reflect what has been taking place.

For specific information on the most recent issues with the change of application of the rules and regulations on crew escape, and whether those issues are to be dealt with under the cargo regulations or the passenger regulations, I will need to consult Mr Tydeman on when those discussions were happening.

No.

In the debate that we had last Thursday on opportunity in the programme for government, I was really heartened by Daniel Johnston’s offer to have a discussion around some of the energy infrastructure changes that will be required and other net zero policies that will be needed. Having discussions between parties around understanding where we stand, having a greater understanding of why we will need to take some of the decisions that we will need to take and having clear lines of communication and consultation on how we might be able to meet them together will be really important.

Where we can find common cause—that is why the Bute house agreement is so important—and where we can work together, we should do it. My door is open to that, and the doors of my colleagues in the Government are open to allow respective spokespeople and others to input. I hope that our discourse is evidence based and is taking people with us rather than seeking to divide communities, which is what I am seeing coming from elsewhere at the moment, as well as people in some quarters trying to deny that it is an issue that we have to face up to at all. We have to face up to it.

All of us have a voice and an ability to set a very clear narrative around why that work is important and why we cannot deny the fact that climate change is not just something for the future but is happening now. The committee has done work to ensure that there is greater public understanding, and we will go away and consider what more we can do—acknowledging that grid infrastructure is a UK Government responsibility—and what we can do to provide as much information as we can and how we can help to work with industry on that.

Where there are suggestions, we will always consider them and look to do what we can to try to provide as much information as possible but also give a greater context as to why the actions that we are going to need to take, which might be uncomfortable for some people and might have to change the way that we live our lives, are necessary. If we do not take that action and we do not meet our net zero objectives, and if global warming continues to happen, there will be even greater discomfort because of the more extreme weather and the imposition that the impact of climate change will have on people’s lives and livelihoods.