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SNP ministers have been accused of “keeping islanders and yard workers in the dark” over whether £35 million to complete a long-delayed ferry construction will be handed over. There are fears a revised business plan for shipyard Ferguson Marine may be kept secret. The concerns have emerged after Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary, Kate Forbes, was unable to guarantee the Scottish Government could provide £35m needed to complete the delayed Glen Rosa ferry. The vessel is already eight years behind schedule and costs are expected to increase by an additional £35m, taking the total cost to £185m. But in a letter to Holyrood’s public audit committee last month, Ms Forbes stated that “any additional funding requirements, including the anticipated £35 million shortfall, will be considered through the normal budgetary process and subject to parliamentary scrutiny”. READ MORE: Shortlist of names for CalMac's new electric ferry fleet revealed, as public asked to vote She added: “Subject to the completion of external due diligence, this combined work is expected to conclude by the end of this month.” In relation to the business plan being made public, Ms Forbes said that “any decision on whether to publish the plan will be a commercial matter for Ferguson Marine itself, reflecting the sensitivity of market information contained within it”. Scottish Lib Dems economy and transport spokesperson Jamie Greene, said: “The SNP are keeping islanders and yard workers in the dark about funding for the Glen Rosa. “Everyone knows ministers will have to provide the funding eventually, and this charade of withholding the funds is nothing more than a pretence that ministers care about the public purse. READ MORE: Glen Sannox: CalMac's newest ferry to be taken out of service for third time, amid 'vibration' issue “The priority should be on getting the Glen Rosa delivered after years of delays but the SNP would rather tell islanders, ‘maybe yes, maybe no’. It is hugely unfair and shows just how out of touch they are with the communities affected by their blunders.” He added: “Similarly, it makes no sense whatsoever for Ferguson’s business plan to be kept a secret, especially when their last plan contained holes and false assumptions, including the reliance on a contract that the yard did not win. The SNP snubbed Ferguson Marine repeatedly in favour of overseas yards, and it still refuses to finish the job of the Glen Rosa. “The SNP have proved incapable of delivering for islanders and Scottish shipbuilding. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to fix this fiasco, which is why we have set out plans for a new Ferries Bill that puts island and coastal communities at its heart. Scottish politics has never been more important - get The Steamie newsletter today “They deserve a new strategy that guarantees vessels are replaced on time and a real say on how their ferries are run, on top of proper compensation for the disruption they’ve suffered.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government – and indeed the yard – remains fully committed to delivery of Glen Rosa. As the Deputy First Minister set out in a recent update to the committee, any additional funding requirements, including the anticipated £35m shortfall, will be considered through the normal budgetary process and subject to parliamentary scrutiny. “Any decision on whether to publish the yard’s revised business plan will be a commercial matter for Ferguson Marine itself, reflecting the sensitivity of market information contained within it.”
