Chamber and committees

I am not sure that I understand more than we are currently holding it all together with sticky tape. There was a Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee report in the previous session of Parliament that said that the tripartite arrangement did not work, and the Government has had a committee report in the current session saying that the system does not work. We have a situation in which ferries, when they eventually come into service, having been ordered many moons ago, will be asked to operate in ports where infrastructures are not working.

Anyone can see that the arrangements are not working. Are we not going to see reform before the end of the current session of Parliament? If you are going to hold off until the end of Clyde and Hebrides ferries contract, which has been delayed for a year, we are talking about having very little time left in the session in which to rationalise an organisation that two committees have criticised.

I think that Monica Lennon has some questions that she would like to ask.

Well, I have struggled slightly with it, because, before you took over, we had had five transport ministers—Humza Yousaf, Paul Wheelhouse, Graeme Dey, Jenny Gilruth and Kevin Stewart—who all could have been planning for the new contract, which, if it was going to have any chance of succeeding, should have been put out to tender a year ago.

You have written to the committee saying that there will be a direct award, which is contrary to what was expressed to us. In our report to the Government, we said that we would support a direct award only if the islanders agreed, and it appears that the islanders do not agree.

You heard the evidence; I know that you were not there for the signing off of the very last few pages of the report, but the evidence had been received earlier than that. How can we justify this to the islanders? I cannot justify it. I cannot understand how they will accept that the Government has been negligent of its duties and is going against their wishes.

I hear what you say. My only comment is that I find it odd that you had got to half way through the contract, as you did before Covid hit, and you had not worked out what you were going to do at the next stage or how the tender process was going to work.

Anyway, I have had enough on ferries, and I will get into trouble with the rest of the committee if I do not hand over. Douglas Lumsden has a question, but it might still be on ferries.

I think that that brings us to the end of Monica Lennon’s questions. Bob Doris is keen to come in, probably to declare an interest that he is a Swiftie as well. Is there a question, Mr Doris?

I wish that I could have attended, but I had an energy summit in Strathpeffer to talk about the role that renewable energy will play in the Highlands. I think that we had almost equal numbers of attendees and an equal amount of passion.

My question to you remains unanswered. Will the Nairn bypass be complete by 2030?

I have a final question on the A96. As soon as you have built the Nairn bypass, or before you have built it, will you be looking at the Elgin bypass, which is equally as critical to the people of Elgin as the Nairn bypass is to the people of Nairn?

We will pause for five minutes and then reconvene at 10.50 for the final, somewhat shorter session of questions.

Good morning, and welcome to the 20th meeting in 2024 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. Monica Lennon is joining us remotely, and we have received apologies from Mark Ruskell. Graham Simpson has joined us for the main item in public, and I will give him time for questions at the end of that session.

Agenda item 1 is a decision on taking business in private. Are members happy to take in private item 3, which is consideration of the evidence that we will hear on Scottish Government transport policies and performance, and item 4, which is consideration of visits and engagements as part of our scrutiny of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill?

Members indicated agreement.