John Swinney accused of 'deeply concerning answer' over Glen Rosa ferry fiasco
First Minister challenged to confirm the two ferries’ cost has increased to £460 million.
First Minister John Swinney has been attacked for failing to confirm whether the Ferguson Marine ferries fiasco will now cost as much as £460 million.
Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay accused Mr Swinney of giving a “deeply concerning answer” at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday when he challenged the First Minister over the total cost of building Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa.
Mr Findlay said the £460m figure had been quoted in a BBC story. That report said the figure included £45m of Scottish Government loans to the yard, which are regarded as separate to the ferries project, and £83m paid prior to its nationalisation in 2019.
Mr Swinney repeated the latest estimated completion cost of £185m for Glen Rosa, which has been delayed by up to another nine months until June next year.
The latest published estimate for Glen Sannox is £149m, which would make the total for the two ferries £334m.
Mr Swinney said of the combined cost of the two ferries: “I can’t be definitive about that point because the risk contingency [of £12.5m for Glen Rosa] depends on the sequence of events that take place in the completion of the vessel.
“It is unacceptable that these vessels have cost so much and the delays that have been experienced, but the Government is very focused on making sure that these vessels enter service so that we can deliver on our commitments to sustainable ferry services to island communities.”
But Mr Findlay said: “He’s clearly not willing or indeed perhaps able to say how much this is going to end up costing taxpayers or when these boats will both be in service.”
The Scottish Tories leader said Nicola Sturgeon had said three years ago when she was first minister that she “simply don’t recognise those numbers” when asked if the bill could top £400m.
Glen Rosa will be completed eight years late, while Glen Sannox entered service on CalMac’s Troon-Brodick route in January after being finished in November last year, six-and-a-half years late.
Mr Findlay also criticised the lack of any SNP minister “being held to account” over the fiasco and said further ministerial visits was “the last thing islanders want”.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said that rather than "steadying the ship", Mr Swinney had been "unable to get a grip of this crisis" and accused the SNP of being "addicted to wasting people's money".
He said: "We are rapidly approaching half-a-billion pounds of public money on two delayed ferries. Today I can reveal over £500 million has been spent fixing the ageing ferry fleet while over-budget vessels lay unfinished."
However, Mr Swinney stressed the investment the Scottish Government had made in the ferry fleet.
The First Minister told MSPs: "I am acutely conscious of the challenges on the island ferry network. But the network, despite these issues, performs very strongly for island communities and the Government's investment will help to build that resilience in years to come."
He said only 3.4 per cent of sailings were cancelled for technical or other non-weather reasons.
CalMac later insisted the total spent on repairs was lower than Mr Sarwar had said, with the ferry operator saying the bill for this for 2015 to 2025 was £252,530,000.
A Calmac spokeswoman said: “This spend has been essential in order to maintain a reliable ferry service, as one third of our fleet of 35 vessels is operating beyond their life expectancy.
“We have had to invest more heavily in both planned and unplanned maintenance in recent years, and this investment grew to well over £43 million in 2023, compared with just £20 million in 2017.
“However, up to 12 new vessels are due to enter our fleet by 2029, including MV Isle of Islay this year, which will make a massive difference to our service, modernising a significant portion of our fleet and therefore reducing maintenance costs.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Just over £250 million has been spent on work to the Calmac fleet, which comprises more than 30 vessels, over the last 10 years. This does not just include repairs, but also work such as maintenance and upgrades. A third of the existing fleet is due to be replaced in the coming years.
“Total costs to deliver the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa since public ownership are forecasted to be £418.25 million. This includes contingency costs of £12.5 million.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.