Chamber and committees

How much of the contingency budget has been used? If we put the LNG issue to one side, will that budget be sufficient? Is there any danger that it will not be enough?

Further to that, beyond Government investment, which other sources are you looking at for investment in the plating line and the medium-term improvements that are needed?

If there are any major changes to that, you can notify the committee on the back of those board papers. We have had good correspondence with you, but if that picture changes—

In terms of—

When you were previously at the committee, you talked about what the small vessels programme would involve. I would not say that electric propulsion systems are easier, but they can be produced off site and brought in in a modular fashion. What changes would have to be seen at the yard to carry out such a programme? Would they be changes in the way that the workforce is orientated or retrained in certain areas? I am trying to envisage what has to happen at the yard to put it on to that programme and to move fully into that for a period of time while you are building up for medium-term and longer-term possibilities.

Which bits of those two sides of the work require more investment and focus in the organisation? Which bits are you ready to go with and which bits require more time, adaption and support?

I am content to support the proposal, on the clear understanding that it does not result in any divergence between the UK and the EU, that the revocation of measures is purely technical in nature and that they are indeed now redundant, which is why they are included in the SI.

We have covered those, so that is fine.

David, last time you were in front of the committee, you made the case for capital investment in the yard in order to keep it competitive. Will you update us on where that is at and comment on your plans, alternative sources of investment and the Scottish Government commitment?

That is okay. We will get around things eventually.

What I am hearing from David Tydeman is that the yard is able to bid for the small vessel replacement programme with the facilities that it has at the moment. Is that right? Is it right that, even with limited or no investment, you are still able to do that, or is short-term investment required at the yard to enhance your bid or enhance it a little bit with an eye on more medium-term opportunities? I am trying to unpick whether there is a barrier to the yard bidding for that programme.

Thanks.

I want to pick up on a couple of points in the report. There is a recommendation that the UK Government should work with the Scottish Government to create, in effect, a Scottish brand. How easy would that be to do? There is clearly an intersection of interests around the economy, with joint aspirations, but to what extent can we go beyond that? How would you see that evolving?