Vote · 11 May 2022

Ferry Problems

Motion For Debate Motion S6M-04319 Lodged by Graham Simpson Con as amended by SNP

Carried by 8

64 For 56 Against 0 Abstained 9 Did not vote

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The Conservatives’ motion was rewritten by an SNP amendment (S6M-04319.2) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the SNP’s wording.

That the Parliament believes that

182 words removed by S6M-04319.2

the way the Scottish Government has been running ferry services has been a scandal; calls on the Scottish Government to say why it awarded the contract for ferries 801 and 802 to Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited against the advice of its own experts; is concerned about why 15 stage payments were agreed for each ferry; notes concerns that the deal may have broken EU state aid rules; further notes concerns that the lack of documentary evidence to explain the contract award could be in breach of the law; is disappointed that the Scottish Government failed to listen to the experienced workforce who had concerns about the management of the yard; believes that the yard could have survived without the orders for vessels 801 and 802; agrees with the view of the majority of people in Scotland who think that the Scottish National Party administration has done a bad job of running ferries; is concerned that this will contribute to island depopulation, and calls on the Scottish Government to spell out how it plans to run and procure ferry services in the future.

S6M-04319.2 SNP ferry services provide an essential lifeline to island and remote rural communities and their economies; acknowledges that the delays and cost overruns to vessels 801 and 802 are regrettable; notes the findings of the Audit Scotland report, that all of its recommendations have been accepted, and that improvements, including changes to procurement practices, have already been made; recognises the progress that is being made at Ferguson Marine under the recently appointed chief executive, including the milestone reached at the end of April 2022 with the fitting of Hull 802’s bow unit, with both dual fuel vessels being scheduled for delivery in 2023; further recognises the role that Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is playing in that progress, not least through the involvement of an experienced secondee in Ferguson Marine’s senior management team, and welcomes that the Scottish Government saved Ferguson Marine, the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde, from closure, rescuing more than 300 jobs, with over 400 people currently employed at the yard, and ensuring that two new ferry vessels will be delivered to maintain and enhance connectivity to Scotland’s islands.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

S6M-04319.2 SNP Jenny Gilruth Agreed vote, 65–54
S6M-04319.1 Labour Neil Bibby Defeated vote, 53–66

The motion as originally lodged by the Conservatives (not what was voted on)

That the Parliament believes that the way the Scottish Government has been running ferry services has been a scandal; calls on the Scottish Government to say why it awarded the contract for ferries 801 and 802 to Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited against the advice of its own experts; is concerned about why 15 stage payments were agreed for each ferry; notes concerns that the deal may have broken EU state aid rules; further notes concerns that the lack of documentary evidence to explain the contract award could be in breach of the law; is disappointed that the Scottish Government failed to listen to the experienced workforce who had concerns about the management of the yard; believes that the yard could have survived without the orders for vessels 801 and 802; agrees with the view of the majority of people in Scotland who think that the Scottish National Party administration has done a bad job of running ferries; is concerned that this will contribute to island depopulation, and calls on the Scottish Government to spell out how it plans to run and procure ferry services in the future.

How the parties split

1 MSP voted against their party

Party	For	Against	Absent	Majority
SNP	57	1	6	✓ For split
Con	0	29	2	✗ Against united
Lab	0	22	0	✗ Against united
Green	7	0	0	✓ For united
LD	0	4	0	✗ Against united
NPA	0	0	1	n/a

Party is the MSP's party on the day of the vote. Majority is how most of the party's voting MSPs voted.

Every MSP

129 MSPs

For (64)

SNP 57

Green 7

Against (56)

SNP 1

Jenny Gilruth

Con 29

Lab 22

LD 4

Did not vote (9)

SNP 6

Con 2

NPA 1

Alison Johnstone

Against their party

1 MSP

SNP majority for

Jenny Gilruth ✗ Against

Context

The motion, its supporters and amendments
Watch on Scottish Parliament TV (that day's meetings)
All votes on 11 May 2022 (5)

Other votes that day (4)

Ferry Problems S6M-04319.1
Defeated 53–66
Ferry Problems S6M-04319.2
Carried 65–54
Tackling Violent Crime S6M-04320 as amended by SNP
Carried 69–29
Tackling Violent Crime S6M-04320.2
Carried 69–29

How this is worked out

Vote type, bill stage, free votes and key votes are worked out by this site from titles, dates and how each party split. They are not the Parliament’s own classification.

Kind and stage come from the motion title and reference (".1" references are amendments) and, for bills, the bill’s stage dates.
Bill links are shown only when the title matches a bill’s name and the vote falls within that bill’s passage.
Free vote means two or more parties each split by 15% or more, with ten or more MSPs off their party line. Parties rarely announce free votes in the data, so this is a likely sign, not a record.
Key vote means a bill’s Stage 1 or final vote, a budget vote, a likely free vote, or a result decided by three votes or fewer.
Against party line counts MSPs whose vote differed from the majority of their own party (independents excluded).