Chamber and committees

The redacted elements relate to the board's confidential consideration of the pension scheme as part of its normal business as an employer.

The minutes of the meeting are prepared by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) who have no plans to publish the redacted sections at this time.

The Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services harbour operating agreement will issue as part of the invitation to tender, currently planned for June 2015.

The procurement process requires an invitation to tender to be issued, followed by further invitations to submit interim tenders as required, before an invitation to submit a final tender.

Since the commencement of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract on 5 July 2012 Transport Scotland officials have met regularly with Serco NorthLink to discuss contract management issues. Pension schemes for workers on Northern Isles Ferry Services have not been specifically discussed at those meetings or at any other meetings with Serco Northlink.

The last triennial revaluation of the CalMac pension fund was undertaken in 2012 and reported a deficit of around £30 million. As part of an agreement with the employers, the fund trustees and the Pension Regulator, the Scottish Government agreed to additional annual payments of £3 million, on top of additional payments of £0.7 million already being made by the principal employer, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). These payments are in addition to the regular employer contributions made by the fund’s participants: CMAL, CalMac Ferries Ltd and other companies within the David MacBrayne Group which total around £7 million per year. The results of the next triennial revaluation are due in October 2015.

The current recovery plan agreed by the fund trustees aims to remove the deficit by the time of the 2024 revaluation. At 31 March 2015, the deficit had risen to around £59 million against a target of £20 million.

The pre-qualification questionnaire did not ask for this information. Pension arrangements will be addressed within the invitation to tender documentation and tender submissions.

The pre-qualification questionnaire did not ask for this information. Staffing arrangements will be addressed within the invitation to tender documentation and tender submissions.

Transport Scotland received two completed prequalification questionnaires from economic operators.

Details of the economic operators invited to tender for the contract for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services will be confirmed when the invitation to tender is issued. In line with the timeline for the tender process, it is intended to issue the invitation to tender in June 2015.

Any economic operator who was unclear on anything contained within the prequalification prospectus and questionnaire could submit clarification questions to Transport Scotland. A total of two economic operators asked such clarification questions.

The Scottish Government, like the other UK health departments, receives advice on vaccination from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

At its meeting on 4 February 2015 the JCVI considered the most recent epidemiological evidence and advised the need for an immunisation programme to vaccinate all UK adolescents aged 14 to 18 years of age (school years S3-S6) with MenACWY, in order to protect them and also generate herd protection against meningococcal W disease (MenW) for the rest of the population.

Whilst Scotland has not seen the dramatic increase in cases of MenW as has been experienced in England and Wales, the Scottish Government will work with Health Protection Scotland, NHS Scotland and other UK health departments to determine how and when the JCVI’s advice would be best implemented in Scotland.