Willie Rennie
Scottish Liberal Democrats · Scotland
“Daniel Johnson’s remarks were powerful, and he identified an issue that is sometimes uncomfortable and that we need to address. The country faces difficult issues, and we do ourselves no favours by ignoring those issues. Some of the points that Daniel Johnson made about immigration were right, and we need to discuss them.”
“Again, Daniel Johnson highlighted that when he talked about comments on “fighting- age men”, “strangers” and “two-tier policing”. We know what those terms mean and what they are appealing to. Thomas Kerr: Will the member take an intervention? Willie Rennie: Yes, I will take an intervention from Mr Charmer himself.”
“I understand that a German company will now use the Dalzell plant as a jobbing mill, importing 4,000 tonnes of slab from a foreign supplier outside the UK instead of purchasing that slab from Scunthorpe. All that raises serious questions about an important part of the steel industry in Scotland.”
“It is important for the UK Government that there is learning from the process and that the circumstances of our Parliament—for example, when we re-form following an election—are not an afterthought in relation to the UK Government’s formulation of its approach to legislation and when it decides to introduce it.”
“So far, the Scottish Government has not been formally asked to provide support, but I advise the member and the chamber that the issue was part of my discussions with the UK Government minister yesterday. The legislation extends to Scotland, and the steel undertaking would capture the site.”
“Will that be repaid, and at what point? When will we have a proper functioning mill—the only wide-plate mill in the United Kingdom—at Dalzell? When will it have a constructive relationship with the Scunthorpe plant? All those issues should be at the front of the Government’s mind, but, as usual, it is not paying attention.”
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Every one of 861 lines we hold for Willie Rennie, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 12 of 18.
“However, with amendment 4 and the review, I am trying to move SMO towards greater freedom, enhanced support and the partnership that will be required among the various institutions. There is no doubt that we need to bring benefits to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to secure its future. My new amendments bring the two amendments from stage 2 together, and, from what I can gather, everybody is quite content. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is content with the review process being strengthened, and I believe that the Deputy First Minister is content. Even the Minister for Higher and Further Education, Graeme Dey, is content, which is quite a rare thing to happen. Members should grasp the opportunity and support my amendments this afternoon. I move amendment 4. Kate Forbes: I thank Willie Rennie for lodging these amendments.”
“They set out that ministers will comply with the new duty in amendment 4 by “taking the actions to support the development of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig which are set out in the report”, in order to bring legal clarity. Ross Greer and I had slightly competing amendments at stage 2. I wanted to move straight to giving SMO the status of a small, specialist higher education institution; he was in favour of the more considered approach of reviewing the evidence and reaching a conclusion. Our amendments were consistent in many ways, and I have tried to work on the proposals through discussions with the cabinet secretary, her officials and Ross Greer. There were some concerns about what the “small specialist institution” status would mean for Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and whether it would enhance SMO’s funding arrangements.”
“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig has always been a place of commitment and ambition, and we need to take steps to protect and sustain its important contribution and independent status. My amendments strengthen the position that was agreed at stage 2 by placing a duty on ministers to take appropriate action “to support the development of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig as the national centre for Gaelic language, education and culture in Scotland”, as is stated in amendment 4. My amendments clarify that conducting the review is part of exercising that duty. They specify what the review must consider, including SMO’s funding and the question of whether SMO should be designated as a higher education institution in its own right.”
“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is one of our national institutions, and it should be valued, protected and supported. Clearly, SMO is important for the Gaelic language at home, but it also has an international reputation. In addition, it makes a significant contribution to education, culture and economic regeneration in an area of low population. Discussions about the status of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig have been taking place for some time— some would say that they have gone on for too long. I believe that the review that was committed to at stage 2 is necessary and will provide all parties involved with the information that is needed to make the necessary decisions. Central to the review will be both the future status and the funding of SMO, and I look forward to the review being commissioned and to its recommendations.”
“I hope that, when he reads through the publication in detail, he will see the work that we are doing through, for example, the fairer futures partnerships and our determination to progress those.”
“We are doing that because, as I see when I go on visits and as the evidence shows, we make the biggest difference when we assist young people and their families to address the various challenges that have an impact on them. I am talking about a systemic change rather than a change that simply involves giving money out to assist people to deal with the immediate poverty that they are in. When it comes to our approach, I do not think that it is a case of either/or, although I am afraid that it is when it comes to how to spend money, because we can spend money either on the Scottish child payment or on other issues, but we cannot spend it twice. I recognise the challenge that the member rightly puts to the Government in relation to the Scottish child payment and the wider support that we need to give to people.”
“I am frustrated, too, but perhaps for a different reason. I can see what a difference it would make if we had two Governments, rather than just one, trying to lift people out of poverty, so I make no apologies for pointing out the reality that we are in. However, Willie Rennie is quite right to point out that it is not simply a question of making direct payments to people, such as the Scottish child payment; we need to undertake other work. I will give some examples of the work that is contained in the report that I mentioned. Our fairer futures partnerships are being expanded into more local authority areas, and we are doing work on our whole-family holistic approach.”
“I am afraid that the cabinet secretary’s statement is wholly depressing. The Government seems to be more interested in attacking the Labour Party than in solving child poverty in this country. We should have a direct focus on that. Although I support the Scottish child payment— providing direct cash payments is a good thing— we know that it is not sustainable in the long term for struggling families or for the public finances. We should be putting more investment into projects such as the Wise Group’s relational mentoring programme. I know that the Government is supporting that project, but I wish that there was more excitement about lifting families out of poverty in a sustainable way for the long term, instead of all the politicking that is going on this afternoon. Shirley-Anne Somerville: I appreciate Willie Rennie’s frustration.”
“It will make sure that we have a whole- system response that looks after the individual patient, as opposed to the other way around. There is already significant investment going on, and, in relation to oversight, we now have a national social care advisory board, which is ensuring that we respond to the needs of the social care system, because it is integral to the performance of our health service.”
“I receive regular reports of ambulances queued for a long time outside Victoria hospital in Kirkcaldy. The Government wasted endless amounts of time and energy on the centralisation of the care service, but it neglected the reform that the sector requires. That is the central problem. We do not have the flow through the hospital into social care. Where is the brand-new plan to sort out social care in Scotland? Neil Gray: I have already referenced a significant amount of intervention. The operational improvement plan, which was published earlier this year, will address some of the concerns that Mr Rennie is highlighting. It will increase the capacity of hospital at home and social care services, and it will ensure that we have call- before-you-convey services for our ambulance service.”
“We have seen an increase in spending on front- line mental health services—that much I have already referred to in my original answers. However, I recognise and appreciate that there is variation between boards, which will, ultimately, be part of any complex system that we are dealing with. As I set out in my original answer to Rhoda Grant, I am committed to meeting all boards over the course of the summer, because I want to ensure that, collectively across Scotland, we are all working to meet those spending targets by the end of the parliamentary session. The Presiding Officer: There is much interest in this question time session, so I would be grateful for concise questions and responses. NHS Highland (General Practitioner Vaccination Services) 2.”
“Working towards delivery, when there is only one year to go before the end of this Government’s term in office, is simply not good enough. Fife is well down the league table in relation to spending on mental health and on CAMHS. The effect on other services, including the police, is dramatic, as is the effect on the economy, with lots of people unable to work, because this Government cannot give them the support that they need. When will there be a renewed focus on making sure that mental health is the priority that it deserves to be? Tom Arthur: I recognise the seriousness of the issues that Mr Rennie raises, and I want to assure him that, although I have been in post fewer than 24 hours, I have already been actively engaging with my officials to take those matters forward.”
“We have agreed investment from within my portfolio of £2 million to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow city region. If the level of investment that the member refers to is to come to Scotland, we need to ensure that we have the workforce pipeline to deliver what is set out in the defence review. Rolls-Royce Naval Welding Centre 4.”
“In the spirit of seeking consensus, there is an opportunity to grow the Scottish economy through the increase in UK defence spending, but I am concerned that, because of Scottish Government policy on defence spending, we might miss out on that investment. Can the Deputy First Minister confirm that the Scottish Government will seek to work in partnership with the UK Government to make the most of that investment? Will the Scottish Government change its current policy? Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government absolutely recognises the critical role that Scotland’s defence sector plays in our economy and our national security. Since coming to office, the Government, through its enterprise agencies, has provided around £45 million in funding to defence companies. A key area of focus is skills.”
“Gender Identification (Police Scotland) 2.”
“We know that the Scottish National Party is in trouble on performance when it refuses to be compared with England. The reality is that the Government is way behind. It says that it is moving at pace, but if it is moving that fast, why can the minister not give us a date, like in England, when the work will be completed? Paul McLennan: When we talk about cladding—Willie Rennie will know about this—one of the most important points is to get the single building assessments done and in place as soon as possible. We worked very closely with the development sector on that point, and that work was done collaboratively. The greater our ability to get the SBAs done, the quicker we can get the buildings remediated. The open call that I have talked about and the work that is taking place with local authorities and RSLs will see that pace increase.”
“That is an indicator of businesses’ confidence to invest in their futures, and that is why we need a Government that brings stability and ensures that we invest in the right people and the right skills. I have concerns about the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill in that regard. We need to ensure that it tackles the real problems that we face in that sector, because if we do not have the skills, the people, the institutions and the right attitude, we will not be able to grow our entrepreneurial companies for the future. I hope that the Government is listening and that it understands that those challenges need to be addressed if we are to grow. The Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate. 16:00”
“We need to address a number of problems. Kate Forbes: It is worth briefly noting, because I am always in the business of restoring confidence in the University of Dundee, that it was named the top university in the UK for entrepreneurial activity. Willie Rennie: I hope that that means that, by the end of the week, we will have an arrangement with the university to secure its future, because we have been waiting for that for far too long. We have had problems with business research and development for a number of years. Scotland has always lagged behind the rest of the United Kingdom in that regard. The UK figure is currently 1.96 per cent, while in Scotland it is 1.45 per cent, which is way down on where we should be.”
“Programmes that instil knowledge, understanding and confidence, such as the rural leadership programme through Scottish Enterprise and others, are good examples of developing political and personal capacity and skills in certain sectors. However, we still face challenges in a number of areas, and universities, which Stephen Kerr referred to, are probably the biggest example of that. We would not know it, but the University of Edinburgh, which is getting a lot of negative publicity just now, created 127 new companies in 2023-24. Universities are major generators of economic growth in this country. We used to sing all the time about the University of Dundee’s life sciences, but that university still does not have a rescue package in place to ensure that its research capacity and, to be frank, its brilliance will continue.”
“On top of that, there has been an unstable political environment in those areas, and there has been turbulence from things such as Brexit, Liz Truss’s budget and the independence referendum. I am sure that the Deputy First Minister will not agree with the latter point, but all that turbulence has added to uncertainty in business, which has held back decision making and investment. That is why we need to get to a much more pragmatic, stable relationship. I have seen good examples of progress. The improvement of the pipeline to support different businesses at different stages of their growth is a good development.”
“Implicit in the Deputy First Minister’s speech was an acknowledgement—I could say an admission— that the Government went off track for a number of years, that it was seen to be anti-business, that it had policies of apparently never-ending increases in taxation and regulation and that there was a suspicion of business and entrepreneurship. The change in rhetoric today is a helpful sign that the Government is moving in the right direction, but there is an implicit acknowledgement that things went off track, which, along the lines that Lorna Slater outlined, contributed to the decline in investment in the housing sector but also in many other sectors that have feared the ever-growing reach and the approach of the Government. Nevertheless, it is a move in the right direction.”
“What is the plan for munitions in an independent Scotland? Where will we buy them from? Will we make them ourselves? If it is not the taxpayer, who will fund them? Those are serious questions that highlight the inconsistency in the SNP’s approach. Would an independent Scotland have any munitions at all? Richard Lochhead: Of course an independent Scotland would have conventional defence forces. Defence and defence spending are reserved to the UK Government. The member should be aware of that. In the context of our principles, we believe that any public money that is used to support companies in the private sector that are involved wholly or partially in defence activities should focus on diversification and skills development; it should not be used to fund munitions.”
“To ask the First Minister for what reason there has reportedly been no financial agreement between the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Dundee, in light of the alternative financial recovery plan being launched four weeks ago. (S6F-04138)”
“My appeal to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is that he considers the overall allocation of resources and recognises that huge challenge. 16:30”
“People do not have to just take a medicalised route; some can perhaps get benefit from alternative methods of support. Waiting for years for even that is unacceptable, however, and that is why the pathway needs to be implemented with urgency. Children 1st says that the medicalised route is not necessarily the appropriate way for young people and suggests that whole-family support is an alternative that can work. We need to get things co-ordinated fast, because the crisis has bedevilled the country. I want to provide one further challenge to the NHS as a whole. If we are to deal with the economic inactivity levels, we will have to place the right priority and the right funds in the right places. If we do not tackle the issue of economic inactivity, we will not have the tax that is necessary to pay for our NHS services.”
“One parent told me about their son, who was diagnosed with ADHD at school, where he got the right support and was stabilised. When he left school, he came off the medication, went off the rails and got into trouble—he had difficulties with the police and the justice system. They tried to get him back on, but three years later, they are still waiting. All that time, he has been unable to work or to contribute—a bright young lad who could make a huge contribution to the country, and who could take the burden off the state. It is a crying shame that he is not just one; he is one of many. That is why we need to provide solutions. The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ stepped care approach, with the four-tier national programme that has been talked about today, is of course the right route.”
“The 16 to 64-year-old inactivity rate in Scotland is at 24 per cent. The level is 21.7 per cent in England, which is bad enough. That sits with the demographic challenge of our ageing population, who are not ageing well—they are ageing with long-term conditions, which places a significant pressure on public services, and those who are retiring early add to economic inactivity. That pincer movement is having a dramatic impact on our economy and on our tax base. In other words, it is just not sustainable—and that is without mentioning the impact on individuals who are struggling with their conditions for years on end. I attended the St Andrews ADHD support group earlier this year. There were bright, intelligent people there—people who were full of ideas and really engaged, but who were struggling to get the support that they needed.”
“It was once the case that middle-aged working men were placed on incapacity benefits. They were from post-industrial communities and they were stuck on incapacity benefits for years. That had a detrimental effect on their lives, on the economy and on the country’s tax base. The situation has changed. Younger people with mental health conditions and neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism are stuck on benefits and support at a very young age. We are losing them not just at middle age through to their retirement but at a young stage in life. That is bad for them, because they are stuck on those benefits for their whole life. It is not good for their health, it is not good for the economy and it is not good for the country’s tax base. We see that in the figures.”
“I move, That the Parliament acknowledges the work carried out by Scotland’s teachers in schools across the country and commends them for all they do; recognises that the subjects that they teach provide important foundations for knowledge and skills in sectors that can be vital for Scotland’s economy; notes with concern, however, that there has been a sharp decline in the number of teachers in key subjects, such as maths, physics and modern languages, and that targets to train teachers in STEM subjects have been continuously missed; believes that, should these targets continue to be missed, and the decline in the number of teachers continues, it will add to the strain on the teaching workforce, Scottish education will suffer and Scotland’s ability to compete globally in important sectors will be impacted; further believes that a lack of permanent contracts for teachers will further compound issues with recruitment and training; notes that there are also high levels of unemployment and underemployment of primary teachers and teachers for some secondary school subjects; further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to make sufficient progress on its 2021 commitment to recruit 3,500 more teachers, which is set to be missed by the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to develop a new, urgent plan for the teaching workforce, working with stakeholders.”
“The teaching bursary of £20,000 for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and for Gaelic has a poor take-up rate. The preference waiver payment for teachers to move to areas in which it is hard to recruit is not working, either. Those payments must be revamped. We need to look at where new teachers are trained, because they often remain in those areas to teach. The Deputy Presiding Officer: You need to conclude. Willie Rennie: I appreciate that teacher workforce planning is not simple, but the Government has made the situation a whole lot worse.”
“It got worse, as only 16 arrived—a third of what the council asked for. In the following year, 66 were requested, only 18 were allocated and just 12 started—a fifth of what was needed. Almost none arrived where the council has the biggest shortages. The effects of that are subjects being cut out in schools, primary teachers being brought into secondary schools, falling staff morale and declining pupil behaviour. The problem is nationwide. Compared with when the Scottish National Party came to power, there are 363 fewer maths teachers, 91 fewer physics teachers, 216 fewer computer science teachers and 180 fewer technical education teachers. The number of modern languages teachers has fallen by more than a fifth. What are the solutions? The cash incentives are clearly not working.”
“The next tasks are to solve the 90-minute teacher contact time promise and the shambles of the 3,500 extra teachers, and to give clear guidance to the teacher workforce planning advisory group. Although there are too many teachers in one part of the system, there are not enough in another. An example is secondary schools in Aberdeenshire. The cabinet secretary knows, because she visited Aberdeenshire not so long ago, that it is short of science teachers, maths teachers, technical teachers and home economics teachers. Claire Rennie—no relation—from Fraserburgh academy parent council says: “While this has been an issue for many years, it is now very much at crisis point.” In the 2022-23 session, Aberdeenshire Council requested 48 newly qualified secondary teachers, but it was allocated only 25.”
“The result is that 950 teachers—plus many more with short-term jobs, zero-hours jobs or no job at all—are struggling to pay the bills and battling to stay in teaching, with the Government pretending that it has nothing to do with it. The Government is failing to cut teacher contact time by 90 minutes and failing to deliver jobs for 3,500 extra teachers. It is failing teachers and pupils. Even today, the cabinet secretary points to others rather than accepting that this mess is of the Government’s making. When she stands up in a moment, the first words that she should utter are: “I am sorry”. She should apologise to all those unemployed and underemployed teachers.”
“It then promised to create 3,500 extra teachers to make that possible, so universities got busy educating them. When the councils could not afford to recruit those extra teachers, there were few jobs for them. The Government failed to reach an agreement to cut teacher contact time, but the newly qualified teachers kept on coming. The Government then worked out that, with falling school rolls, it did not need 3,500 extra teachers to cut the 90 minutes, but it kept the new teachers coming. Just one in four newly qualified teachers now finds a permanent teaching post. The Government’s working group admits that there are now 950 more primary teachers than jobs available.”
“I hear stark reports of 170 applications for one temporary position; of lives being on hold; of teachers being unable to start their family, get a house and settle down; of older teachers having sacrificed careers in industry for nothing; of teachers leaving the country for work; and of thousands leaving the profession. The problem is most acute in primary education. In her amendment, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills blames local authorities. She says that they are the employers and they are responsible for local workforce planning, but councils are not responsible for the supply of new teachers. That is the job, through universities, of central Government. Let me take members back to the previous election, when the Scottish National Party promised to cut teacher contact time by 90 minutes per week.”
“Presiding Officer, “I find myself ill with worry of how I will pay my bills. My car is broken but I cannot afford to fix it. My rent is £1000 but I cannot get a mortgage due to uncertainty of work. I lost my mum in the first term of becoming a teacher so have no other way of supporting myself. I cannot even gain money from universal credit as casually working supply … means I cannot claim anything.” Those are the words of just one of the many teachers who are crying out for this Government to listen to their battle to do the job that they love—to educate young minds.”
“We need to shift the balance of care from acute hospital-based services to more general practice-based services in the community. That is my vision for the health service, which I intend to deliver on. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder 8.”
“The report says: “Embedding continuity of care into everyday GP practice in Scotland has been underprioritised ... The GP Voice tracking survey found that under half of GPs (48%) felt they were able to deliver continuity of care which meets their patients’ needs.” After 17 years in power, why are we in this sorry state? Neil Gray: I absolutely value the role that general practitioners play in providing continuity of care and having the knowledge and understanding to meet a person’s health needs, often over their lifetime. That is absolutely critical, which is why we will continue to work with the BMA and the royal college to ensure that they have the support that they need to continue to provide services and continuity of care to our communities.”
“That allows private development, and, with private development, there are more affordable homes. I reassure Willie Rennie that the Government has no intention of extending rent controls, for example. We are also working with investors to tackle any challenges that they have. I can give the example of the work that the Minister for Housing is doing on stalled sites to see what more needs to be done; we are giving active consideration to whether there is infrastructure funding that could unlock a number of such sites. I give Willie Rennie those examples to demonstrate that I know that private housing investment is an exceptionally important part of the jigsaw of tackling the housing emergency.”
“Although not as much as I would like, the Government has moved away from some of the damaging policies and rhetoric of the past, which I believe contributed to the housing emergency that we have now, with high levels of temporary accommodation and low levels of new starts and completions. Will the cabinet secretary guarantee that there will be no return to policies that damage investment in housing? Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I mentioned in a previous answer, it is exceptionally important that we not only maximise the public funding that goes into housing but encourage and maximise the private investment that goes into it. I recognise the challenge that Willie Rennie puts to me today, and has put to me in the past, on ensuring that the Government does all that it can to encourage private investment.”
“I say to members that, if they do not think that progress has been made by local authorities that have been given the funding to complete flood resilience programmes, it is incumbent on us all to scrutinise those local authorities. I am happy to engage with any local authority that members think has not been stepping up to the plate in that regard.”
“The cabinet secretary talks about nature-based schemes but as far as I can see, despite all her strategies and plans, nothing is happening on the ground. There is no engagement with landowners and farmers on an on-the-ground basis to make practical differences. There is an absence of knowledge and shared understanding about how to tackle the problems. When on earth will the plans actually make a difference? Gillian Martin: With the greatest respect, I push back against some of the assertions that Willie Rennie makes. Nineteen of the cycle 1 flood protection schemes have now been completed. Local authorities have had eight years to make progress since our commitment to fund their schemes. Funding has been given to local authorities, and I have a regular catch-up on the progress that they are making.”
“NHS Fife had a £55 million overspend in the past financial year after attempts to bring the budget under control failed. Why does the Scottish Government boast repeatedly about being able to balance its budgets when it has direct control over NHS boards and is repeatedly unable to do so in that regard? Ivan McKee: Obviously, NHS boards are responsible for managing their own funds, and I have already indicated the basis on which the funding is allocated to them. The member should recognise that the NHS in Scotland is receiving record funding from the Scottish Government as a consequence of the priority that we give to funding our health and social care services. I have already indicated that the Scottish Government balances its budget in the round, and the funding that we give to NHS boards through the NRAC formula is at record levels.”
“The minister will have seen this week’s reports about the court appeal of Sanjeev Gupta’s group to fend off an attempt to close down its steel mills, particularly in England. In my view, that raises concerns about the group’s investments in Scotland. What communications is the minister having with GFG Alliance in relation to the Alvance British Aluminium plant and Liberty Steel Dalzell? Those are important plants but, so far, I have heard nothing from the Government. Richard Lochhead: I assure Willie Rennie that we pay close attention to those issues all the time, and we will continue to do so.”
“I am confident in the Government’s response because, as I have said, the process is evolving and can change daily.”
“If the minister does not know how many young people have been denied secure care, how does she know how many extra secure beds are required? Natalie Don-Innes: It is not a static process so it is not a case of saying that on a certain day, X number of secure care beds are required. It is an evolving process. Children require entry into secure care for a number of different reasons. As I have said, there can be a multitude of reasons why a placement cannot be found or why that can be difficult. I cannot emphasise more the work that we have under way to ensure that there is sufficient capacity in the system and that every child’s case is considered individually and in a way that is in the best interests of all children involved.”
“However, the success of that programme has dwindled in recent years, and we are reflecting on how it might be able to better support those subject gaps in future. I can confirm to the member that I have asked my officials for more advice on that, because it is important that our programmes to encourage people into teaching are helping to drive recruitment, particularly in areas where we know that we have subject gaps, such as computing science. Violence against Teachers and School Staff (South Ayrshire) 7.”
“Stephen Kerr is right that there is a significant challenge with the number of computing science teachers. It is down at a record low of 550, and there has been a drop of 28 in the past year. Some incentives are in place to encourage people to switch careers, but they are clearly insufficient. Is the cabinet secretary considering other measures to encourage more people into computing science, because it is essential? Jenny Gilruth: I agree with the essence of the member’s point. Again, it links to wider challenges, not least in computing. Across the curriculum, there are a number of skills gaps in certain subject areas. We fund the teaching bursary scheme, to which the member alluded. The scheme is worth up to £20,000.”
“My priority is to ensure that all additional scrutiny and review steps that can be implemented are implemented, so that the timetable is delivered on, as the leadership have suggested that it will be, and so that we get the Glen Rosa out on the seas as quickly as possible. As I have said to other parties, if members of Parliament require further information and communication over and above the accountability that already exists between the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and the board, I am willing to explore that.”
“I humbly suggest that the fact that I am answering questions here, and I have stated quite clearly the actions that I have taken, suggests that I am not in any way shirking the responsibility of the Government or myself, in my current brief, with regard to holding to account the board, which in turn holds the leadership to account. I have been crystal clear with the board about what I expect, and I am extremely disappointed to be answering questions here today, not because I think that the questions are wrong but because of the additional delay that has prompted those questions. Those island communities need, demand and require the Glen Rosa to be serving them.”