Chamber and committees

Now you have totally confused me, Alison. We have been told that the value of the ferries is about £70 million, and the cost so far attributed to each of them is about £170 million. Are you getting £100 million back from Ferguson Marine on both ferries?

Last week, Mr Gray was a bit iffy, I would suggest, about where it would come from. Anyway, I can quote you to him that it is coming out of his budget.

I turn to the capital budget for ports. My question is about Ardrossan harbour, which is obviously a problem area because the pier is partially collapsed. If Glen Sannox and 802 are to be able to use the harbour, it will need a liquefied natural gas tank and an extension of the quay because it is too short. Is that all in the budget and will it all be done this year, before Glen Sannox comes into service?

I hope that the business case for Ardrossan finally lets vessels 801 and 802 work from it, because it has been a long time coming.

Douglas Lumsden has a couple of questions.

I know that two more members want to ask questions. Because Graham Simpson was so—

Although Graham was so concise in his questions, we have still run out of time, so I will ask the two members concerned if we could submit those questions to the cabinet secretary in writing. I am afraid that we are now out of time for this evidence session.

I thank you and your officials, cabinet secretary. I think you have been here for nearly three hours of questioning—it has been quite a long session. Thank you for being here.

That concludes the public part of our meeting.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the fourth meeting in 2024 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.

The first item on the agenda is decisions on taking business in private. First, we will consider whether to take agenda items 3 and 4 in private. Under item 3, we will consider the evidence that we will hear under item 2, on the Scottish budget, and, under item 4, we will consider a draft letter on the Scottish biodiversity strategy. Do members agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Agenda item 2 is an evidence session with the Scottish Government on its proposed budget for the financial year 2024-25.

Last week, we heard from the Deputy First Minister in her capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and from the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy. For this session, I am pleased to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, Màiri McAllan, and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, who is attending the meeting remotely. I expect to see her on the screen shortly.

We are also joined by Anna Densham, deputy director, land reform, rural and islands policy, Scottish Government; Simon Fuller, deputy director, rural and environmental science and analytical services, Scottish Government; Philip Raines, deputy director, domestic climate change, Scottish Government; Brendan Callaghan, head of operational delivery, Scottish Forestry; and Kerry Twyman, director, finance and corporate services, Transport Scotland. Thank you for joining us this morning.

I also welcome Graham Simpson, who has joined us for this session. I will offer him the chance to ask one or two questions nearer the end of the session.

As you will be aware, cabinet secretaries—I think that I can refer to you in the plural, although I cannot see Mairi Gougeon on screen—we propose to run this session by initially putting questions to both of you on areas in which you have a joint interest. We will then have a brief suspension before we take further evidence from Màiri McAllan on matters that are specifically within her ministerial portfolio. I expect the latter session to be the longer of the two.

Before we move on to questions, I would like to offer both cabinet secretaries the chance to make a brief opening statement. Màiri McAllan, do you want to start?

I am a bit confused. When you say that they are “relatively minor” errors, are we talking about thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions?

So, we are talking about millions. I am a bit concerned to get this information at this stage, because the committee asked a question last week—I think that it was Mark Ruskell—about annex J and the details within it. It now appears that we have based part of our scrutiny on something that is factually incorrect.

With respect, it is easy for you to sit there and make those comments, but until we have had a chance to scrutinise matters, we will not be in a position to say whether we agree or disagree with you.

I understand your point about the size of the Scottish budget, but using the term “relatively minor” to describe errors in the millions does not accord with my categorisation of money. The committee will want to reflect on the issue after the session and to see annex J when it is resubmitted. We may wish to take further evidence on it—that will be up to the committee to decide. We will leave that there.

I offer Mairi Gougeon the chance to make a brief opening statement, if she would like to.