Chamber and committees

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. With the process to return Prestwick Airport to the private sector continuing, it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment further at this time.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government, in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU.

Prestwick Airport continues to develop as a specialist airport, carving a niche in a very competitive aviation market. It is for the airport’s management team to consider all potential business opportunities to maximise the use of the assets of the airport and build on the progress which has already been made.

We are committed to ending the practice of landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) in line with recommendations from the Climate Change Committee.

While we have not made an assessment of the isolated employment impact of the ban on sending BMW to landfill, landfill will continue to be an important treatment method for some waste types. Moreover, there is no restriction preventing landfills currently accepting BMW from continuing to accept other waste types, for which landfill presents the best environmental outcome, following implementation of the ban on landfilling BMW.

We have an opportunity for renewed impetus in building a fully circular economy in Scotland which will drive materials up the waste hierarchy and keep them in high value use for as long as possible. Many businesses are already promoting the adoption of circular economy practices, for example to actively increase waste prevention and reuse by rethinking operations, diversifying businesses and supporting innovation. Research suggests that the same amount of waste can create far more jobs through recycling, re-use or repair than landfill. The report is available here: Final-briefing-on-reuse-jobs-website-2.pdf (rreuse.org) . In addition, ZWS have also carried out research to identify how many current jobs are associated with the circular economy as well as the future roles and skills required: New research from Zero Waste Scotland and Circle Economy reveals scale of sustainable jobs | Zero Waste Scotland .

During the period 1 January 2021 until 9 July 2021, CalMac Ferries Ltd had over 74,130 scheduled sailings to operate. From these, there were 62 instances where a vessel from the CalMac fleet was removed from service to allow unscheduled maintenance or repair work to be carried out at a cost £6,630,344. This represents only 0.08% of those sailings. Scheduled annual overhauls are carried out when vessels are not in service.

In many instances when a vessel is removed from service, a minimal number of sailings are affected.

Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025, in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. By working to achieve our ambitious waste and recycling targets, we can ensure a transition to a fully circular economy and help to achieve our net zero commitments.

The implementation of the ban was delayed to 2025 to allow local authorities and the wider waste sector the necessary time to ensure full readiness and avoid unintended negative economic impacts, as highlighted by the Waste Markets Study (2019) . We are working to provide a centrally supported procurement solution to help local authorities secure alternative solutions to comply with the forthcoming ban. In addition, we will continue to engage with the commercial sector to support their preparation and input in to the delivery of the ban.

We recognise that the actions needed to become net zero by 2045 will transform all sectors of our economy and society. The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition, which is about ensuring that, as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, that journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone – regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are. We are working with industry and businesses to maximise the opportunities and realise the benefits of a circular economy, identifying where there are opportunities to make transformational changes. We will ensure our transition to net-zero creates new opportunities for people across the country. For example, we are investing £100 million in the Green Jobs Fund which will provide support to businesses (and their supply chains) to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. In so doing, the Green Jobs Fund will boost green employment and create opportunities for individuals to retrain and upskill in new and high-growth areas.

Ministers are pleased that following successful berthing trials the MV Arrow has been chartered.

This means more services between Stornoway and Ullapool, as we look to help Lewis and Harris. It will bring additional capacity to this key route during the busy summer period, by allowing CalMac to free up the Loch Seaforth to let more passengers and their vehicles travel. It will also increase freight capacity.

Both Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and CalMac continue to actively search the market for further suitable tonnage, either to charter or purchase.

The Scottish Government have also confirmed new investment of £580 million in ports and vessels to support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the next five years, as part of our wider infrastructure investment plan.

Further to the answer provided to S5W-35358, the Scottish Government notes the significant investment CalMac makes in vessel maintenance. CalMac have contracts in place with a number of shipyards to undertake the annual dry-docking of vessels in the fleet. These contracts allow improved planning of the overhaul work as well as undertaking preventative works

The Scottish Government established a Resilience Fund in 2018/19, which is in addition to the annual expenditure for maintenance.

Projects are listed in Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan; some will need further funding beyond the five year period of the plan.

A National Mission with Local Impact: Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Work is proceeding on a number of vessel replacement projects. Vessels 801 (MV Glen Sannox) and 802 are under construction and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) have started the procurement process for a new Islay vessel. In addition, projects are underway to deliver the vessel replacements noted in the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan: Gourock-Dunoon/Kilcreggan, the Small Vessel Replacement Programme, Craignure-Oban, Mallaig-Armadale/Lochboisdale and the Northern Isles freighters.

A National Mission with Local Impact: Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Tim Hair, Turnaround Director of Ferguson Marine, updated the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802 on 24 June 2021. The report is available on the Scottish Parliament website at Update on progress and impact of COVID19 on programme for vessels 801 and 802 | Scottish Parliament Website