Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Official Report 901KB pdf

Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Since last Wednesday’s Conservative Party business debate on the ferries fiasco, the Opposition parties have asked repeatedly that the Deputy First Minister appear before the Parliament. Earlier today, I was told that there was nothing new to say; however, there most definitely is.

Last week, it was revealed that the Deputy First Minister was directly involved in the signing-off of the ferry contracts, despite the First Minister’s having told us previously that that was the doing of only Derek Mackay.

Given Mr Swinney’s willingness to speak to multiple media outlets on the issue, have you received any indication this afternoon from the Scottish Government that he is now willing to deliver a statement to the Parliament regarding his involvement in the matter?

I thank the member for his point of order. He will be aware that the requests have been made at the Parliamentary Bureau. I am currently unaware of any updates on the situation that was discussed this morning. It is, of course, for the Government to respond to such requests.