News from Katy Clark MSP
ARDROSSAN HARBOUR DELAY WILL CAUSE “FURTHER ANXIETY”
28th November 2023
Commenting after questioning Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop on the news that spend on improvements at Ardrossan Harbour have been put off until next year, Katy Clark, Scottish Labour MSP for West Scotland, said: “This latest news will only cause further anxiety for communities who rely on the Ardrossan-Arran service, which is the busiest on the entire network.
“It took six years for the Scottish Government to agree grant terms with Peel Ports on these urgent redevelopments. Just weeks later, the project was paused due to costs being higher than previously feared even though the upgrades are urgently needed to accommodate new vessels set to launch from next year.
“Now the costs have been ‘reprofiled’ to next year, with consultants appointed to provide a fresh report on costings. Why on earth has it taken this long for the Scottish Government to ensure the work was done so there was a serious business case ready? That must be presented to the Ardrossan Harbour Task Force imminently, with costs and implications presented to parliament for scrutiny.
“Millions of pounds are being spent on this project, which is vital for ensuring the harbour is modernised and equipped to accommodate the two new vessels under construction at Ferguson Marine. Islanders, the town of Ardrossan, local supply chains and transport links rely on this crucial crossing, so everything must be done to guarantee the service is not moved to Troon on a more permanent basis.”
SCOTTISH LABOUR MSP SLAMS “WEAK” FOI PROPOSALS
28th November
The Scottish Government’s long-awaited proposals to reform Freedom of Information (FOI) are “weak, timid and far from what the public is calling for”, Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has said today.
Publishing its response to last year’s consultation this morning, the Scottish Government has ruled out the immediate introduction of an FOI bill, instead committing to secondary reforms and further consultations. These include consulting on extending FOI designation to private and third sector run care homes but only after the passage of the delayed National Care Service bill.
Next week, Ms Clark will lodge her the final proposal to seek the right to introduce a Freedom of Information Reform Bill, which will extend FOI coverage to all private and third sector providers of public services, closing loopholes which allow hundreds of bodies running public services to evade scrutiny.
Her proposal will also include a number of reforms explicitly ruled out by the Scottish Government in today’s publication – including a restriction on use of confidentiality clauses, the introduction of a statutory duty to proactively publish information, and the removal of the First Minister’s veto power to comply with certain notices.
Katy Clark, after her appearance at today’s Holyrood Freedom of Information Conference, commented: “It’s now been three years since the Public Audit Committee argued in its post-legislative scrutiny of FOI legislation that non-public sector bodies delivering public services should be subject to FOI. The principle is clear: public information should follow the public pound.
“Now, the Scottish Government has finally made clear its intentions: kick the can down the road yet again.
“There’s no commitment to private or third sector designation, just a vague commitment to a consultation on the care sector and only after the passage of a National Care Service that has itself been delayed. This is weak, timid and far from what the public are calling for. It’s utterly undemocratic that so many publicly-funded organisations evade scrutiny because of their ownership.
“I’ve repeatedly called on the Scottish Government to back my proposed reforms and work with me on this issue. Today’s announcement is disappointing yet unsurprising from a government which has essentially been under special measures over its own atrocious FOI performance for the past five years.
“My bill will finally close these loopholes, introduce a statutory duty for bodies to proactively publish information, and make FOI fit for the modern day.”
KATY CLARK: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MUST REBUILD SHIPBUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS FERRIES CRISIS
7th November 2023
The Scottish Government must learn from its “procurement failures” and come forward with a sustainable long term strategy to build ferries in Scotland, Katy Clark has said today.
Speaking ahead of her contribution to Tuesday’s Scottish Parliament debate on building a modern and sustainable ferry service, the Scottish Labour MSP highlighted the Transport Committee’s conclusion that “efforts… to purchase or lease existing vessels abroad are not working and should not be relied upon”.
The West Scotland MSP added that the Scottish Government’s long awaited Islands Connectivity Plan must present a “clear strategy to replenish the fleet” if it is to meet its aim of dramatically reducing the average age.
She commented: “Islanders are fed up with being an afterthought. Their livelihoods, and indeed the very future of their islands, are being affected by the frequent mechanical failures, yet the Scottish Government is missing in action.
“As one constituent told me recently: in the 1960s we could send a man to the moon, yet it’s increasingly difficult to travel from Arran to the mainland without any disruption. That isn’t acceptable.
“Ministers have had years to get on top of these issues and replenish the fleet. Instead, they’ve dithered and panicked, presiding over a litany of procurement failures.
“In the last five years alone, the Scottish Government has examined and dismissed 650 second-hand vessels, panic-leased from private operators with poor health and safety records and outsourced projects to Turkey, a country where workers face random arrests. The only projects managed domestically have been at Ferguson Marine, which has been marred by endless ministerial and managerial mistakes.
“Enough is enough. Islands want to see a clear strategy to replenish the fleet. That may mean some temporary short term tonnage, but for a sustainable long term service, there must also be a thorough realistic industrial strategy to analyse where shipbuilding capacity can be rebuilt in Scotland, with the needs of island and coastal communities taken on board every step of the way.”
