Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Official Report 983KB pdf

Points of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

On 16 March, the Deputy First Minister announced yet another delay, of an additional six months, to vessels 801 and 802. He said that the ferries would be “handed over” to CalMac Ferries in autumn 2023 and autumn 2024. He chose his words carefully—because, of course, “handed over” does not mean that the ferries will be operational. When I pressed him on that specific point, he said that he was unable to answer, leaving CalMac to confirm that the vessels would not be operational for a further two to three months.

Presiding Officer, you have said that, as a matter of respect to one another, members should answer questions truthfully. It is clear that, by refusing to answer my question, the Deputy First Minster was hiding the fact that he knew that the ferries would not be operational for another two to three months after the dates that he had given. I seek your advice on how a member can get honest and full answers when it is clear that some ministers do not show members the respect that you have asked them to show.

I thank Edward Mountain for his point of order. The “Scottish Ministerial Code” states that it is “of paramount importance” that ministers give full and accurate information to the Parliament, correcting any inadvertent factual errors at the earliest opportunity. If a minister is not in a position to provide an answer to a question at the point at which it is put, it is acceptable to offer to follow up with information in writing. If a member has a question about the factual accuracy of another member’s contribution, they should raise it directly with that member in the first instance. Edward Mountain will be aware of the Parliament’s procedure and how it operates.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

I seek your guidance. This afternoon, the Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Màiri McAllan, misled Scotland’s coastal communities. The existing network of marine protected areas covers approximately 37 per cent of Scotland’s seas. The Greens and the Scottish National Party, through their Bute house agreement, intend to designate 10 per cent of Scottish seas as highly protected marine areas. At least part of that 10 per cent will be over and above the 30 per cent that are already designated as marine protected areas. In comparison, the European Union’s approach is to designate strictly protected areas within the 30 per cent that are already designated as MPAs.

No other EU country has implemented HPMAs to the extent of the proposal from the Greens and the SNP. There is no evidence to demonstrate that the HPMAs will achieve their aims. Minister McAllan is being disingenuous in stating that Scotland is in line with the EU. That matters, because fragile rural communities are under threat once again, just as they were during the Clyde cod box debacle. It is no good throwing around inaccurate data that undermines the seriousness of the SNP-Green Government’s unevidenced policy approach and ignores the concerns of stakeholders and coastal communities.

Presiding Officer, I regret that this is becoming a regular occurrence, with SNP ministers frequently misleading the chamber, and I would appreciate your advice on this very serious matter.

As I have previously drawn to members’ attention, a mechanism exists whereby those who have provided information on the record have an opportunity to correct that information if they believe that a factual error has been made.

The member has had an opportunity to raise her points in the chamber, and they will therefore be on record.