Chamber and committees

The Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee, last met Mr Gupta, on 15 August 2022.

The Government’s intentions were clear. We were taking those steps to try to protect employment. There are families who are employed in the Dalzell steelworks and at the Lochaber smelter today who would not be employed if the Government had not helped in that way that we did.

We are trying to ensure that we support employment in our society. There are commitments that GFG has to make to the Government. Those commitments are being delivered on in relation to the payments that are required as part of the financial arrangements that are in place. The Government will continue to monitor those issues and respond to any issues that are raised in Parliament.

I am on my final sentence, Presiding Officer.

Graham Simpson, on the radio this morning and in his speech in the debate, made it clear that the Conservatives are interested in privatising the CalMac network. I put on the record that the Government will have nothing to do with that.

Recovering from Covid-19 remains a priority for the Scottish Government. The 2022-23 programme for government outlines the range of actions that we are taking to support that, and it addresses the impacts of the pandemic across our society, economy and health services. It sets out our investment for the next year through the Covid support fund, which assists those who are living with long-term effects of infection; outlines financial support that is available for local economies that are dealing with the impacts of the pandemic; and undertakes to eradicate healthcare waits of more than 18 months in most specialties.

The current fiscal environment presents real and significant pressures. Within the constraints of a fixed budget and limited powers, the Scottish Government is managing the nation’s finances while maximising the support that is available to those who are most affected by the pandemic and by the on-going cost crisis.

The emergency budget review is on-going and will assess all opportunities to redirect additional resources to those who are most in need as well as to reduce the burdens on businesses, stimulate the economy and support our wider recovery from the pandemic. Any changes to budgets that result from that will be formally set out to Parliament in the standard budget revision process.

As I indicated in my first answer, there is a lot of material in the BBC report. It was first put to ministers last week and I responded in good faith by giving an interview. I have indicated that there are issues of concern that require exploration and I welcome the comments that have been made this afternoon by the Auditor General, who has said that he will consider what further audit work is required in the light of the points that are raised in the BBC report.

There are issues of concern. I do not believe that it would be appropriate for the level of specific information that the BBC documentary says was available to Ferguson’s to have been made available to the company. It is important for me to place on the parliamentary record that CMAL has made it clear to the BBC that it can find no trace of that document going from CMAL to Ferguson’s. It is important that those points of factual accuracy are put on the record.

In relation to the wider questions that have been raised, that is why I gave a commitment that the new points of detail and information that are raised in the BBC documentary must be explored further. I welcome what the Auditor General said about that today.

In relation to the point that Rhoda Grant puts to me in connection with any further investigation, I have set out to Parliament the steps that we have taken to raise with Audit Scotland the issues that have been put to us, and Audit Scotland has made its own judgment, as it should do as the independent auditing body in Scotland.

In relation to documentation, I remind Rhoda Grant that the Government published a huge volume of material in—if my memory serves me correctly—December 2019, which included all the detail around information that was available on the procurement process and development of the contract with Ferguson’s. As I have indicated in my answers today, the Scottish Government, CMAL and Ferguson’s all commit to fully supporting any investigation that is properly undertaken under the auspices of the Auditor General.

The BBC’s allegations were first put to me in advance of an interview that I conducted last week as part of a programme that is to be broadcast this evening. Scottish ministers are not aware of any impropriety in the procurement process, but take the claims that have been made extremely seriously. It is important that they are addressed carefully.

As I made clear in my interview, those issues are concerning. I know that the current management teams at Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd share that concern. I have already committed to ministers exploring what further steps the Government needs to take to ensure that all questions about the fairness and appropriateness of the tendering process are properly and independently investigated.

I confirm that, at the request of ministers, the permanent secretary has already proactively been in contact with the Auditor General for Scotland to discuss the matter. The Auditor General informed the permanent secretary that Audit Scotland will look at the substance of the allegations around procurement that are raised by the programme before deciding whether further audit work is required. I welcome that, and the Scottish Government, CMAL and Ferguson’s all commit to fully supporting that exercise.

Obviously, we do not want matters of this nature taking an inordinate amount of time to be investigated. If concerns are raised, they should be properly looked into. That is the step that the permanent secretary has taken, on ministers’ behalf, in raising the issue with Audit Scotland.

As I said, I welcome what the Auditor General has said this afternoon to allow independent investigation of the claims that have been made in order to determine what further action is required to be taken.

I agree with Emma Roddick on that point. From the mini budget on Friday, it is very clear that the United Kingdom Government wishes to take policy in a dramatically different direction, in contrast to the prevailing decisions that have been arrived at in this chamber, which are, of course, a product of the choices that have been made by the people of Scotland.

Those two factors are in no way separate, because the implications of the UK Government’s decisions on Friday will be felt acutely by the Scottish Government and Scottish public finances. I would have thought that, during a cost of living crisis, the priority in a mini budget would have been to support the most vulnerable and boost public expenditure to cope with the raging levels of inflation that are undermining the value of public expenditure. None of that happened on Friday. Indeed, my concern, having looked at the UK Government’s publications and statements, is that the pressure on public expenditure in the years to come will become even more intense than what I set out to Parliament in my statement two weeks past Wednesday.