Chamber and committees

The Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services harbour operating agreement will issue as part of the invitation to tender, currently planned for June 2015.

Scottish Ministers want to protect the CalMac pension scheme in the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract in line with their stated principles of fairness, affordability and sustainability for public sector pensions. A pensions working group, involving officials from Transport Scotland and representatives from the STUC and ferry unions was set up in December 2014 to discuss the best way to achieve this outcome.

The redacted elements relate to the board's confidential consideration of the pension scheme as part of its normal business as an employer.

The minutes of the meeting are prepared by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) who have no plans to publish the redacted sections at this time.

The last triennial revaluation of the CalMac pension fund was undertaken in 2012 and reported a deficit of around £30 million. As part of an agreement with the employers, the fund trustees and the Pension Regulator, the Scottish Government agreed to additional annual payments of £3 million, on top of additional payments of £0.7 million already being made by the principal employer, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). These payments are in addition to the regular employer contributions made by the fund’s participants: CMAL, CalMac Ferries Ltd and other companies within the David MacBrayne Group which total around £7 million per year. The results of the next triennial revaluation are due in October 2015.

The current recovery plan agreed by the fund trustees aims to remove the deficit by the time of the 2024 revaluation. At 31 March 2015, the deficit had risen to around £59 million against a target of £20 million.

Since the commencement of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract on 5 July 2012 Transport Scotland officials have met regularly with Serco NorthLink to discuss contract management issues. Pension schemes for workers on Northern Isles Ferry Services have not been specifically discussed at those meetings or at any other meetings with Serco Northlink.

The pre-qualification questionnaire did not ask for this information. Pension arrangements will be addressed within the invitation to tender documentation and tender submissions.

Any economic operator who was unclear on anything contained within the prequalification prospectus and questionnaire could submit clarification questions to Transport Scotland. A total of two economic operators asked such clarification questions.

The pre-qualification questionnaire did not ask for this information. Staffing arrangements will be addressed within the invitation to tender documentation and tender submissions.

Transport Scotland received two completed prequalification questionnaires from economic operators.

Details of the economic operators invited to tender for the contract for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services will be confirmed when the invitation to tender is issued. In line with the timeline for the tender process, it is intended to issue the invitation to tender in June 2015.

Through the Scottish immunisation programme, as part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule, children in Scotland are offered important protection against meningitis. Although meningitis W specifically is not yet part of the immunisation programme in Scotland, information coverage of the signs and symptoms of meningitis within the Scottish immunisation programme is high. The communications materials, including leaflets and the Immunisation Scotland website, which support the programme highlight the signs and symptoms of the disease as well as containing web links to NHS Inform and meningitis charity websites for further information.

The Scottish Government also continue to work with meningitis charities to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease to encourage prompt action where the disease is suspected.