Chamber and committees

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a further update on plans for the redevelopment of Ardrossan harbour. (S6O-03651)

Ardrossan has been the main port to Arran for 190 years, as it is the shortest and quickest route. Humza Yousaf signed off its redevelopment in 2018, but six years of delays, for successive reasons, means that ferries will now be running from Troon. Will the cabinet secretary ensure that there is a final announcement in July, with a plan for the redevelopment of Ardrossan harbour?

SISCO has described the current releases as “shambolic”, with prisoner release services being “overwhelmed”. Last month, the cabinet secretary said that there would be improvements to victim notification, and she may have outlined what those are. However, we know that most victims will not be notified that an offender will be released earlier than expected. Can the cabinet secretary confirm the exact number of offenders who are being released, and the number of victims who will receive notification? If she does not have the number of victims, will she obtain it and share it in the chamber?

The Deputy First Minister will be aware of the anger and distress on Arran and other islands, given the delays and the unreliability of the ferry service. Workers at Ferguson Marine are in a similar position. Last year, the then chief executive officer warned that urgent investment was needed by last Christmas to enable essential reconfiguration at the site. We are very much aware that the Deputy First Minister took part in a summit, but can she give an update, given that the investment is both urgent and essential?

Good morning. Again, there is no need for everyone to answer every question, but I would like to know your views on how clear the bill is about the enforcement and accountability framework for the ask and act duties. Would anyone like to come in on that?

Would it be fair to say that you do not think that it is as clear as it could be?

Would the cabinet secretary be willing to look at the issues that the RMT is raising in relation to crewing levels on the Glen Sannox and the issue of due diligence in relation to the direct award?

I congratulate Jamie Greene on securing the debate, and I was pleased to sign the motion to give cross-party support to enable the debate to take place. I believe that our constituents think that it is appropriate that we debate these issues before the summer recess.

I, too, am a West Scotland list MSP, I was the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran between 2005 and 2015 and I currently work out of a regional office in Ardrossan, just a few hundred yards from the Ardrossan ferry port. I have therefore represented the islands of Cumbrae and Arran for a number of years and, like other members, I receive regular representations about the ferry service.

It is clear that the problems on the ferry routes have increased significantly in recent years, which has had a massive impact on the lives of islanders, the island economies and, indeed, island tourism. Scottish Labour research found that the number of non-weather-related cancellations trebled in just five years by 237 per cent. CalMac cancelled 1,301 sailings in 2022, which represented an increase of 44 per cent since 2018. There is no doubt about the scale of the problem. Between 2015 and 2023, 6,302 sailings were cancelled for specific technical reasons. The average age of the 37 vessels that are leased to CalMac is 24 years.

There should be consensus across the chamber that we face a significant crisis and that we have to find solutions, ideally on a cross-party basis. Last year, the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee reported high levels of dissatisfaction among users. Issues that were cited included missed school hours, disrupted attendance at medical appointments, the inability to care for ill relatives and friends, cancelled holidays and a range of other problems.

All of us have received representations about things such as bare shelves in supermarkets on Arran over the festive period and representations from constituents outside Arran and Cumbrae about the impact of that on people who holiday on the islands.

The Arran route from Ardrossan is, of course, the busiest route on the network, and its future is currently under threat. The Ardrossan route has been the main route to Arran for 190 years, as it is the shortest, quickest and most convenient route, and transport and infrastructure have developed around it. Therefore, there is strong support for maintaining Ardrossan as the main port for Arran, but the poor condition of the port, particularly the Irish berth, is already causing significant problems. Peel Ports’s closure of the port means that the MV Alfred can operate only from Troon. That leaves the 40-year-old MV Isle of Arran serving the route from Ardrossan.

On the Largs to Cumbrae route, the normal vessel—the MV Loch Shira—has been out of service since April, and a succession of vessels have served the route. Construction will not start on a replacement vessel for that route until 2026. I hope that the Glen Sannox will come into service soon, because it is clear that that will have a massive impact. However, crewing levels and cabin space have still not been agreed with the relevant trade unions, and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is raising concerns. Given all the other problems that we have had with those issues, I urge the cabinet secretary to ensure that that is addressed and that there is an agreement on staffing levels as a matter of urgency.

Scottish Labour supports a direct award to provide long-term certainty for islanders and the workforce. We urge the Government to include trade unions, including the RMT, in its due diligence in delivering a long-term contract to CalMac. Tendering will not take place within the 12-month framework that the extension provides. We need certainty so that we can focus on the service that islanders receive and ensure that we have a robust and reliable service in the future that will, I hope, be operated in a way that genuinely provides the cross-party support that we need for such services.

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

The policy aim of the legislation in relation to domestic abuse is to help protect the rights of women and children who are experiencing domestic abuse and financial control and living in social housing to remain in their own home, or be rehoused if that is their wish, and to ensure that arrears accrued because of domestic abuse are not a barrier to accessing social housing in the future. To what extent do the bill’s provisions relating to domestic abuse achieve the stated policy aim?