Latest news with #FergusonMarine
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Higher costs and fewer journeys: these ferries make no sense
Further, the current Type 23 will be in service for many years to come supporting and protecting our aircraft carriers. Today, Business Editor Ian McConnell editor sets out to laud the Glen Sannox and her boost to the Arran economy ("Does 'ferry fiasco' vessel offer hope for Arran?", The Herald, May 30). The Caledonian Isles will return from Brigadoon soon, so we are told, and run from Ardrossan and so we have two mainland ports serving Arran with all the associated costs. Her design capacity is 1,000 passengers and 110 cars, and with five return journeys per day allows 10,000 and 1,110 passenger and vehicle journeys respectively. When augmented by the MV Isle of Arran, whose design capacity is 448 passengers and 76 cars, this allows an additional 4,480 and 760 journeys respectively and a total of 14,480 passenger and 1,870 car journeys per day from Ardrossan. The Glen Sannox is limited to 852 passengers with 127 cars. The higher capacity is not available in service because it can only do three of the longer Troon return journeys per day, allowing 5,112 and 762 respective journeys per day along with a 40 per cent increase in fuel burn, increased maintenance and running costs and the cost of an additional port giving massive and unnecessary overheads, all for the same capacity as the MV Isle of Arran. As and when or if the MV Glen Rosa comes on service, those overheads double and 4,256 passenger and 346 vehicle journeys will be lost per day, as will the popular day trips for tourism or necessary mainland visits. Apparently that is good business. Peter Wright, West Kilbride. • Stan Grodynski unfortunately continues to fail to understand the basic facts behind the Type 26 frigates, and the comparison to Arran's ferries, in his ongoing deflection from the SNP's total mishandling of Ferguson Marine. Of course the Type 26 programme did begin in 1998 – with an evaluation phase. Unlike CalMac and the Scottish Government, the Ministry of Defence makes plans decades ahead to assess ship replacement programmes, with current plans under way for the Type 83 destroyer as replacement for the Type 45 and provisionally planned for around 2040. From 1998, the extensive planning stage led to a contract being awarded for the design of the Type 26 – itself a lengthy process –at the same time evaluating future overall fleet requirements, with the actual construction contract then awarded in 2017. The design of a complex warship understandably takes a little longer than that of a ferry. From construction contract award to delivery, it remains the simple fact that the Type 26 budget excess is 5% against Ferguson Marine's 670%. Additionally, the Global Combat Ship's design has also been sold to Australia and Canada for their construction of a further 24 vessels. I don't recall any other countries rushing to order 24 "Glen" ferries. With regard to the aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth was ordered in 2007 with delivery due in 2015. Being commissioned in 2017 – two years late – her overrun is still five years fewer than that of the Glen Sannox. Her contract was initially costed at £4.1 billion, eventually rising to £6.2bn, an increase of around 50% in part attributable to delays caused by the global financial crisis, and including changes to the planned aircraft to be deployed – still considerably less than Ferguson Marine's 670%. Unlike the Glen Sannox, HMS Queen Elizabeth also has the added benefit of being able to fit into her home port. Perhaps Mr Grodynski would acknowledge that an 80,000 tonne state of the art warship is a rather more complex build than a 1,200-tonne ferry. Steph Johnson, Glasgow. Read more letters Prized strengths of our MSPs The supposed controversy over Scottish Labour's Hamilton candidate, Davy Russell, following a low profile ("Labour's by-election candidate denies he has hindered campaign", The Herald, May 29), rather raises the question: what do we want from our MSPs? Which strengths do we prize? Perhaps we should not expect individuals to be proficient in every dimension? While the Scottish Parliament is about laying down well-worded and structured laws, there is clearly much more for MSPs than that. Serving the needs and tackling the problems of individuals and communities, for one. Organising a small team to respond to constituents, for two. Being open to ideas across party boundaries, influencing colleague MSPs and aware of what's going on in the country, for three. Contributing that knowledge and previous experience to debate whether in the chamber or on the 16 committees, also important. Increasingly, it feels that being grounded in the constituency can add great value to representation. Appearing on television and speaking in public seem to me to be rather less important. And of course, the modern way – good regular use of social media – is an attribute. I provided radio snippets on BBC Radio Scotland for 20 years and much preferred that medium to television because I could have my notes laid out in front of me, unseen. Could I have spoken well without notes on television? Possibly. Did I want to? No. Philip Gaskell (Dr), Drymen. • Question Time from Cheltenham (BBC1, May 29) had a distinctly cautious air about it. With the exception of politics blogger Ava Santina-Evans who tried (and failed) to stir controversy with bizarre remarks and facial expressions, the three politicians – Heidi Alexander (Lab), David Simmonds (Con) and Jess Brown-Fuller (Lib Dem) – and political commentator/journalist Tim Montgomerie all acquitted themselves well. Their responses were waffle-free and well delivered. No talking over one another. It was as if a pre-arranged consensus had been agreed. Perhaps with the newly-arrived "spectre on the block" represented here by the loquacious Tim Montgomerie "own goals" were to be carefully avoided. Apart from one impassioned tirade on the deteriorating Gaza conflict the panel were given an easy ride by a polite Cheltenham audience. Overall, not a memorable session. It does however confirm that political opponents can and should work for the common wealth of all. That augurs well in these troubled times. Allan C Steele, Giffnock. A penny for our NHS Our NHS hits the headlines once again ("One in nine Scots face long waits for planned treatments on NHS", The Herald, May 28) and yet opposition parties jump up and down and engage in political point-scoring. Those same parties have been in charge of the NHS in other parts of the UK and have failed to come up with a solution to long waiting are no constructive ideas, no examples of better practice, only criticism which demoralises loyal and dedicated NHS staff. There is no magic wand. We all need to take some responsibility for the system, for instance, by not missing appointments, using the fully-joined-up approach of considering a visit to the pharmacy first, taking pressure off other services further down the line. NHS nurses and doctors in Scotland are the best-paid in the UK. The Scottish Government's latest accepted pay offer continues this theme with staff, including nurses, midwives, paramedics and porters, receiving a 4.25% pay rise this year, backdated to April 1, and a further 3.75% increase in 2026/27. This is the SNP recognising their dedication. The Government has invested massive amounts in our NHS, yet services still demand more. Perhaps a tax increase of 1p in the pound ring-fenced for the health service is one to put on the table. This option would be more palatable here than UK Labour's approach of back door privatisation. Catriona C Clark, Falkirk. Trans question was valid In his reply to Jane Lax's letter of May 29, Tim Hopkins, LGBTI campaigner and former CEO of Equality Network, seems to backhandedly accuse her of specifically transphobic discrimination (Letters, May 30). Why? Because, in essence, she asks a valid question about the use of debating time in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament and expresses criticism of the Presiding Officer's decision to allow a topic which many fellow voters in Scotland may deem not as pressing as, for example, issues around policing, transport, taxes and more. Whether Mr Hopkins likes it or not, in a democracy this kind of questioning, expressed publicly, is not only allowed but also desirable. His whataboutism about disabled wheelchair users doesn't distract from that. Regina Erich, Stonehaven. • Tim Hopkins is always very keen to speak on behalf of the trans community, so I wonder if he could answer a simple question. He writes to these columns claiming that toilet arrangements mean that trans people cannot visit or work in the Scottish Parliament with dignity and privacy, so can he please tell us what is undignified or non-private about using one of the gender-neutral toilets in that building? (I would also point out that using a toilet is not a very dignified process for any of us, necessity that it is.) Peter Russell, Glasgow. Davy Russell, Labour's candidate in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by election, campaigning with Angela Rayner on Thursday (Image: PA) Digital hang-ups I was amused to see BT's full-page advertisements in The Herald this week. Our village has been connected to the fibre network so in November I called BT asking to be upgraded to Full Fibre. Although I called BT, I was advised that I would be going with EE as BT was becoming EE – are you following me so far? There was a period of four weeks when our 01786-numbered landline was now a 01360 number. When the 01786 number was reinstated, I could not call numbers within my area code for a week or so. Four months and over seven hours of phone calls later, during which time I was speaking to either BT or EE all over the country, we are finally sorted. BT's advertisement states that we'll get protection from scams and nuisance calls although I haven't found that to be the case. Steve Barnet, Gargunnock. The Flying South African Your photograph of the post-war resumption of the non-stop run of the Flying Scotsman train from Edinburgh to London ("Remember when … the Flying Scotsman went back into active service', The Herald, May 29) evokes memories of the age of steam-hauled rail travel. In this instance, the Flying Scotsman train was not hauled by the eponymous Gresley Class A3 Pacific which operated for British Railways under the number 60103. As the photograph depicts, the engine was number 60009, a Gresley Class A4 Pacific named Union of South Africa. Following withdrawal by British Railways in the 1960s, both engines were preserved. Richard Dent, Bearsden.
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
I opposed Galloway National Park for very good reasons
My own opposition to the proposal stemmed from spending my teens on the edge of an English national park and experiencing first-hand the impact of increased tourism in an area without the infrastructure to support it. The impact included significant increases in house prices as a result of second homes/holiday lets forcing young people out, a problem exacerbated by the low-paid, seasonal work that increased tourism brought. Those who argue that a national park would help stem the declining population in Galloway perhaps don't have that experience. READ MORE: Scottish Government scraps plans for Galloway national park As for the environmental impact, Galloway already has the Biosphere, the Galloway Forest Park, the Cairnsmore National Nature Reserve, RSPB reserves etc etc – all without a national park. I cannot understand how increasing tourist traffic into the area will 'improve' an already protected environment. Further, as a supporter of Scottish independence, I believe that the economic future of an independent Scotland will be far better served by growing our renewable energy resources than by increasing tourism. Norway doesn't depend on tourists, neither should we. You reported only recently on how much investment and jobs renewable energy will bring to the Highlands – significantly more than tourism and with high-skilled jobs and new housing built in. It is very disappointing that none of those you quote in your report acknowledge that a clear majority of respondents to the consultation said 'no thanks'. I am delighted that the Scottish Government has accepted the majority view here. Lisa Smith Newton Stewart IN his article 'Time to give McColl another crack at running shipyard' (May 26), Kenny MacAskill makes some interesting claims. He states 'the failings at Ferguson Marine fundamentally rest with others', ie not Mr McColl. Well, Mr McColl was responsible for Ferguson Marine when the ferries contract was signed in 2015. He wasn't forced to accept its terms. He was still responsible in 2019 when the company went into administration with debts of £70 million, leading to its nationalisation. Trying to absolve Mr McColl of any responsibility is a bit like saying 'a big boy did it and ran away". READ MORE: I do not share Kenny MacAskill's optimism about Ferguson yard Mr MacAskill also claims that currently, 'the ratio of suits in the offices to workers in overalls is ridiculously out of kilter'. Does he have the figures to justify this claim – or is he making it up? My understanding of the facts of this fiasco has been gained courtesy of our 'unbiased' media. However, I am aware that companies bidding for major construction/engineering/IT projects will sometimes submit bids which are at or even below cost. They assume that 'variations' will arise during the contract and negotiations on these will bring the contract into profit. I have no idea if this is the case here. Douglas Morton Lanark IN his letter of May 28, James Murphy advocates that some of us lay down our lives for independence. That would certainly result in some interesting headlines around the world. To be honest, most countries have gone down that road in the past, including Scotland against England! I've just celebrated my 70th birthday, so how does James expect me to fight a young, trained soldier? Yes, I could set booby traps but it is usually the innocent that get hurt, maimed, or killed by them. With guns you have other problems and again many innocent people get killed. How often have we heard of children being killed or maimed in a war zone, and it is a war zone that James is asking us to set up. READ MORE: Shouldn't all of our efforts be focused on de facto referendum route? Then it comes down to who do we attack first? The police are always in attendance at independence marches but they are not the enemy and many of them support our cause. Another factor to consider if we take up arms, is that Westminster will surely send in Scottish and Welsh troops to quell any revolt. Again, many of them will be sympathetic with our cause. The powers-that-be will take a severe case of brown underpants about sending in English troops and our argument is not against the English troops. There are certain Unionist factions who would love to have a bit of blood to be spilled, but most times we don't see any of them at marches and when they do turn up they're outnumbered by about 1000 to one. Alexander Potts Kilmarnock
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Arran hotel reveals Glen Sannox ferry uplift for bookings
Commenting in January on an increase in losses at Auchrannie in the year to March 2024, finance director and company secretary Colin Morrison had said: 'Probably ferries have been a bigger impact than the economic climate. There has been a lot of ferry disruption over the last few winters. It has obviously knocked consumer confidence a bit. If people have come one winter and have been hit, they are less likely to come the following winter.' Read more The Glen Sannox finally entered service between the mainland and Arran in mid-January - years later than planned following major delays and cost overruns in its construction at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow. Asked this week by The Herald about Auchrannie's experience of the Glen Sannox since the ferry came into service, the resort's head of finance, Tom Jessop, said: 'Ferry reliability has improved significantly since Glen Sannox entered service, but the weather since then has also been comparatively favourable. 2025 occupancy and forward bookings at the resort are up 5% on last year. 'We believe this is due to improved ferry reliability and capacity, better weather conditions, and less negative press coverage, which translates to an increase in customer confidence. With all of that said, signs look good that the Glen Sannox can sail in more challenging conditions than older ferries, and this bodes well for the future.' Auchrannie Resort saw its pre-tax losses widen to £474,260 in the year to March 31, 2024, from £111,447 in the prior 12 months, partly because of increased staff and interest costs. Turnover rose marginally, from £10.44 million to £10.64m Mr Morrison in January highlighted hopes of an improvement in Auchrannie's financial performance in the year to March 2025, noting then that it was on course to be significantly better than expected, through containing costs as opposed to revenue growth.
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Ferguson Marine: Why has ScotGov kept financing the firm?
It comes as it emerged that the Port Glasgow yard was not certain to get the money it needs to complete a lifeline island vessel at the centre of a "new farce" over soaring delays and costs. Ferguson Marine has struggled with the long-delayed and wildly over-budget construction of MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa, the first dual-fuel ferries built in the UK capable of running on liquefied natural gas. What is Ferguson Marine? Ferguson Marine is a historic shipyard located in Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland. Founded in 1903, it has been a significant part of Scotland's shipbuilding heritage and is one of the last remaining shipyards in the country capable of building large vessels. Why is Ferguson Marine important to Scotland? It represents the legacy of Scottish shipbuilding and provides skilled employment in the Inverclyde area, which has suffered from deindustrialisation. It is seen by many as a national asset in terms of maritime capabilities. Its supporters say the nation needs a domestic shipbuilding base for building and maintaining vessels for ferries, defence, and offshore industries. Politically, it also stands as a symbol of the Scottish Government's ambition to maintain and revive industrial capacity, especially under public ownership. What is the current status of Ferguson Marine? The state-owned shipyard located in Port Glasgow, Scotland, is facing significant challenges. The shipyard has been working on two ferries, the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa, which have experienced extensive delays and cost overruns. Originally scheduled for completion in 2018 with a budget of £97 million, the costs are expected to rise to more than five times that figure. The Glen Sannox finally commenced service in January 2025, while the Glen Rosa's arrival has been put back for a further six months and will not see service until between April and June of next year at the earliest - while costs have risen by a further £35m. What are the main challenges facing Ferguson Marine? The primary issues relate to financial sustainability because the shipyard is said to lack confirmed contracts beyond the completion of the current ferries, raising concerns about its future viability. It has just lost a key contract to delivery seven loch-class ferries for Scotland to Poland. There are concerns about its operational efficiency as delays and cost overruns have highlighted issues in project management, And there has been concerns about leadership stability with a series of executive and managerial changes and past difficulties in recruiting a permanent chief executive. It has been by reputational issues with its most high profile problem - the much- delayed and over-budget delivery of two ferries - Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa - which were meant to be operational in the first half of 2018. Reports highlighted serious problems in project management, including design flaws, poor documentation, and quality control failures. CalMac (Image: PA) It led to the Scottish Government's nationalisation of Ferguson Marine to prevent its collapse. This move saved jobs but brought the yard's problems into the public sector. What are the broader implications for Scotland from these issues? It has damaged confidence in the Scottish Government's and the yard management's ability to manage large infrastructure projects. Delays to new ferries have exacerbated transport problems for islanders, affecting tourism, supplies, and daily life. It also raises questions about how and whether governments should intervene in failing industries — and how to do so effectively. Why does Ferguson Marine require support? As the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde, it is a significant employer in Port Glasgow, and its closure would adversely affect the local economy. It has strategic importance as it is the only remaining shipyard on the lower Clyde that builds commercial ships. The success or failure of Ferguson Marine may influence whether Scotland maintains a sovereign shipbuilding capability or becomes entirely reliant on private and international yards. It is considered by its advocates that maintaining domestic shipbuilding capabilities in Scotland is vital for national infrastructure and maritime needs. But investment is needed to modernise facilities and secure future contracts. GMB, the main union representing staff at the yard is instrumental in representing the interests of the workforce. It has been actively advocating for job security - to ensure that employees' jobs are protected amid the shipyard's financial uncertainties. It opposes plans for privatisation, arguing that public ownership is crucial for the yard's stability and future. And it has been calling for government investment. What is the future outlook for Ferguson Marine? The future of Ferguson Marine remains uncertain. While there are opportunities, such as potential contracts for further small ferry replacements and collaborations with larger shipyards, these are said to be contingent on securing the necessary investment and improving operational efficiency. The Scottish Government's commitment and the shipyard's ability to address its challenges are considered to be critical in determining its long-term viability . What steps are being considered to secure the shipyard's future? Ferguson Marine has been exploring collaborations with larger shipyards to enhance competitiveness for new contracts and has been proposing investments to upgrade shipyard infrastructure.
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Ferguson Marine: Swinney urged to act over funding stalls
The Herald can reveal uncertainty continues to surround whether a vital £14.2m support package for Ferguson Marine will pass due diligence tests. The Port Glasgow yard is also not certain to get the money it needs to complete an island vessel at the centre of a "new farce" over soaring delays and costs. The £35m extra public costs for Glen Rosa being asked for by Ferguson Marine is to become subject to further 'due diligence' probing by ministers before a decision is made on whether the extra money will be provided. Glen Rosa was expected to be taking passengers in September - but now Ferguson Marine has admitted the full sign off and delivery will not be until next year - between April and July. The Scottish Government has already carried out a 'due diligence' exercise over the provision of a direct uncontested contract to Ferguson Marine to build seven new ferries. But that was rejected as it was felt it would be subject to a state aid legal challenge and the contract eventually was given to a Polish yard. Yet the yard's business plan to 2029 assumed direct award for that Scottish Government small vessel replacement programme. It was an integral part of a plan to deliver a "sustainable, profitable, efficient and competitive yard". That business plan was approved and submitted in June last year before being verbally accepted by ministers the following month, when Ms Forbes publicly stated an intention to invest £14.2m to upgrade the yard. The plan is based on the yard remaining under public ownership for at least the next five years. Kate Forbes (Image: Andrew Milligan) Now calls are being made for the First Minister to make an urgent statement to clear up the uncertainty over the continued funding of the yard. It comes after the Herald revealed that the cost to the taxpayer of Ferguson Marine has hit £750m. Financial statements up to 2025/26 have revealed that budgets set by the Scottish Government for Ferguson Marine were overspent to the tune of £210m in the first five years since it was nationalised at the end of 2019 as it attempted to deliver two long-delayed and wildly over-budget lifeline ferries. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- READ MORE by Martin Williams Why does ScotGov keep ploughing public money into the ferry fiasco firm? ScotGov raises 'doubt' on CalMac getting new ferry contract from October 'People going bananas': New ferry fiasco hits vital island supplies 'Mismanagement': Public cost of Scots ferry fiasco firm hits £750m amidst overspends ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The costs so far of the beleaguered Inverclyde shipyard firm - which includes sums to cover running costs, wages and a dramatic slump in the value of the stricken vessels - soared to nearly £710m before the board last week sought £35m more public money from the Scottish Government because of further rises in costs to deliver Glen Rosa, the second of the two ferries. The Ferguson Marine bill is enough to cover the cost of 13 ferries of the type currently being built for Scotland at the Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Turkey. Ms Forbes has consistently told MSPs that the £14.2m support package over two years to help secure Ferguson Marine's future was in place and in March told MSPs that "hundreds of jobs have been protected only because of the actions of the Government". In March she told MSPs that there needed to be support for Ferguson Marine to be as competitive as possible so that it is able to secure work through a fair and open procurement process and that "that is the reason for the £14.2m investment" She further told them: "The bottom line is that we have agreed to invest £14.2 million in equipment for the yard so that it can compete on a global basis." But officials have consistently confirmed to the Herald that the two-year investment remains subject to the kind of due diligence tests that stopped the yard from getting the small vessels ferry contract. That due diligence investigation, which involves passing detailed legal analysis and independent financial and commercial assessments, was supposed to be complete by the autumn of last year. The board of the loss-making Scottish Government-owned firm has admitted that questions over further financial support from ministers is casting a "significant doubt" on the its ability to continue operations. Katy Clark (Image: Parliament TV) Katy Clark, Scottish Labour's spokesman for community safety said: "It's outrageous that the future of the yard and investment plan for the ferries has been left in limbo for so long. "The SNP government has allowed this indefinite cloud of uncertainty to remain by mothballing a clear decision on the yard. "At the same time £750 million of public money has been squandered due to the endless delays. "There's no clear resolution in sight on the SNP's watch with a total lack of leadership from the First Minister." The West of Scotland MSP added: "John Swinney must make an urgent statement at Holyrood setting out once and for all about how and when the investment for the yard and ferries will finally be delivered." The company running the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde has been dogged with issues with the delivery of lifeline ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of tycoon Jim McColl. The last estimates suggest the costs of delivery of the vessels will have soared to more than five times the original £97m cost. Ferguson Marine, which employs over 400 staff including over 100 sub-contractors was taken over by the Scottish Government at the end of 2019 following its financial collapse under the control of Mr McColl as a row erupted over long delays and mounting costs over the delivery of the vessels. Losses incurred by Ferguson Marine have totalled over £2.7 million in the last two full years. Ferguson Marine has a 'letter of comfort' which says that "it is our present policy, including with active consideration of the business plan budget and future work of the group, subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament and in so far as permitted by applicable laws and withing agreed budgets for at least a period of 12 continue to provide support to the group". Ferguson Marine (Image: George Munro) Despite that, the board in financial papers acknowledged that there [is] uncertainty surrounding the future levels of support due diligence surrounding letters of assurance and investment in the yard [that] indicate a material uncertainty related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the group's ability to continue as a going concern and, that it may be unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business." Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) which made a net loss of £1.3m in 2022/23 had previously been concerned about the risks to the business and pointed to a failure to get a committed investment at that point of £25m to support future work at the Inverclyde after the delivery of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. Ousted Ferguson Marine chief executive David Tydeman had indicated the reduced £14.2m over two year would not itself be enough. Under his leadership, the loss-making shipyard firm, which relies on public funds, had previously stated that a failure to get a committed investment of £25m to support future work had cast "significant doubt" on its ability to continue. Investment was required for a vital new plating line and software to raise productivity and help it compete for future work and it was hoped there would be delivery by December, last year. But that hasn't happened. At the time Ferguson Marine admitted it was not as competitive as other yards that have modern plating lines and modern facilities. As the plating line cannot be installed for nearly two years the yard would not get decent productivity until 2027, even if ordered now, which makes pricing for future work harder. Mr Tydeman was fired on March 26 after a tumultuous two years at the helm of the nationalised shipyard after he told ministers there would be even further delays to Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa being built for state-owned ferry operator CalMac at the Inverclyde yard. Further delays to the delivery of Glen Rosa have come after wellbeing economy secretary Màiri McAllan said last year that Ferguson Marine considered the latest delays and costs forecasts - which had Glen Rosa ready to use in September - was the "final position" after the firing of chief executive David Tydeman. As the deputy minister Kate Forbes communicated her "disappointment and frustration" to the board about the further delays and costs rise, it was confirmed that the additional £35m funding needed to complete Glen Rosa "will need to be considered in accordance with a stringent due diligence process." This is expected to be a thorough examination of the business and investment, before further project financing is given and would assess the technical, legal, financial, and operational risks and opportunities associated with it.
