Latest news with #JamieGreene
Scotsman
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Scottish railway stations with highest proportion of cancelled services revealed
The Scottish Liberal Democrats criticised SNP ministers over the figures Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Figures have revealed the railway stations in Scotland with the highest proportion of cancelled services. Helensburgh Central, Craigendoran and Cardross top the list, with more than one in 20 services cancelled in the last financial year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They are followed by Caldercruix (5.7 per cent of services cancelled), Blackridge (5.7 per cent), Armadale (5.7 per cent), Dumbarton East (5.6 per cent), Dalreoch (5.6 per cent), Drumgelloch (5.6 per cent) and Uphall (5.4 per cent). A ScotRail train | PA The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who highlighted the publicly available statistics, accused SNP minister of providing a 'masterclass in how to make public transport as unattractive as possible'. The party's Jamie Greene, who represents the West Scotland region, said: 'Passengers are shelling out huge sums of money to travel by train, only to find that some services simply don't arrive. For people here in the west of Scotland, that's a source of endless frustration. 'It's more than three years since the SNP government took over responsibility for Scotland's trains. In that time, they have clobbered passengers with ticket hikes and done next to nothing to minimise disruption or overcrowding.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nationally, the worst month for rail service delays was October 2024, with just 45 per cent of services arriving within 59 seconds of their scheduled arrival time and 84 per cent arriving within four minutes and 59 seconds of their scheduled arrival time. Mark Ilderton, ScotRail's service delivery director, said it operates more than 2,100 services every day, with around nine out of ten of those meeting the punctuality target. He added: 'Cancellations can be for a number of reasons, many of them outside the control of ScotRail, but represented less than 3 per cent of more than 650,000 services we operate across the country over the course of the year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We know how frustrating it is when a service is cancelled or delayed, and that is why everyone at ScotRail is working hard to deliver the safe and reliable railway that our customers expect and deserve, and to encourage more people to travel by train instead of using the car. 'With more than nine out of ten customers satisfied with our service according to Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, it's testament to the hard work of ScotRail staff in delivering a safe, reliable, and green railway.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The cancellations for October-November 2024 represented 3.2 per cent of all ScotRail services. 'Train performance and passenger satisfaction in Scotland is consistently higher than the GB average – but we will keep making improvements, so more people choose to travel by rail. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'While our ability to invest and improve services is impacted by ongoing UK Government spending decisions, we have invested over £12 billion in rail infrastructure in Scotland since 2007 with a further £1.5 billion investment planned for this financial year. 'Fare increases are lower than elsewhere in the UK, and we're permanently removing ScotRail peak fares from 1 September 2025. This move will help people with ongoing cost of living pressures, eradicate child poverty and tackle the climate emergency by saving existing rail passengers money, including parents, and encouraging new, potential passengers onto the train and to leave the car at home.
STV News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- STV News
More than 10,000 ferry sailings cancelled due to faults
More than 10,000 CalMac ferry sailings have been cancelled due to technical faults since 2023, the Scottish Lib Dems have said. Freedom of information data obtained by the party showed 10,809 sailings were cancelled for this reason between the start of January 2023 and the end of April this year. CalMac's ageing fleet of ferries has been plagued with maintenance issues in recent years, though it is hoped the arrival of new vessels such as the Glen Sannox, which joined the fleet in January, will alleviate the problem. Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene said: 'These figures reveal just how much chaos the SNP are causing island communities. 'Our island communities are being treated as second-class citizens, lacking the basic right to access the same public services as mainland Scots. 'The SNP's failure to deliver new lifeline ferries has anchored islanders with an aging fleet that is in constant need of repair, at constant risk of cancellation and costing millions in repair bills. 'My constituents on the west coast are suffering the depressing reality of losing business, missing events and hospital appointments and, frankly, they have lost faith in the Scottish Government's ability to fix those problems.' CalMac said it is common for some sailings to be diverted to other ports due to weather or sea conditions. The ferry operator said that on 294 days out of the time period, it operated more than the number of scheduled sailings. A CalMac spokeswoman said: 'The figures clearly show that CalMac operated more than 95% of all planned sailings since 2023. 'In a typical day, we operate over 450 sailings and our staff work hard to provide a good service in challenging circumstances. In fact, poor weather remains the most common cause of disruption. 'In terms of technical problems, these do happen with an aging fleet and in increasingly challenging weather. 'However, the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce these and modern vessels will improve the reliability and resilience of services across the whole network.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'Between January 1, 2023 and April 30 2025, over 95% of the 391,139 scheduled sailings operated. 'We are investing in six, new, major vessels to serve Scotland's ferry network from early 2025, alleviating the need for extensive repairs on older vessels and improving reliability. 'Contracts have also been signed for a further seven, new, smaller vessels to serve the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. 'CalMac are delivering services in increasingly challenging weather and the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce technical issues and these modern vessels should also be able to operate in more challenging weather and sea conditions. 'To improve service in the short term, we have also purchased the MV Loch Frisa and chartered the MV Alfred. We continue to work with operators and CMAL to improve resilience across our networks.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
After £500million scandal of Scotland's delayed and over-budget vessels, new SNP shambles as 10,000 ferry trips scrapped
The SNP 's ferry fiasco deepened last night as shock new figures revealed more than TEN THOUSAND trips to and from Scotland's islands had to be cancelled. An astonishing 10,809 crossings were scrapped by Scotland's crisis-hit ferry operator CalMac in just over two years due to technical faults. It comes as the state-owned firm has suffered years of problems caused by its ageing fleet, which provides a lifeline to Scotland's island communities. Services have also been impacted by the almost £500m scandal surrounding delivery of its two new ferries for the Arran service, the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa, which have been dogged by years of delays and spiralling costs. Last week, a Holyrood committee warned a state-owned shipyard tasked with building the ferries, Ferguson Marine, that it had 'failed to meet the standards expected of a publicly funded body'. And in May ministers brushed over grave concerns about CalMac's record by awarding it a £3.7billion contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides services for another ten years. Last night, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene slammed the SNP for failing Scotland's islanders. He said: 'These figures reveal just how much chaos the SNP are causing island communities. 'Our island communities are being treated as second class citizens, lacking the basic right to access the same public services as mainland Scots. 'The SNP's failure to deliver new lifeline ferries has anchored islanders with an ageing fleet that is in constant need of repair, at constant risk of cancellation and costing millions in repair bills. 'My constituents on the west coast are suffering the depressing reality of losing business, missing events and hospital appointments and, frankly, they have lost faith in the Scottish Government's ability to fix those problems.' The figures, obtained by Mr Greene's party under freedom of information laws, show that over a 851-day period, there were 10,809 cancelled sailings, which occurred on 548 out of those 851 days - around 64 per cent of the time. A number of vital routes have suffered delays or cancellations owing to a 'lack of vessel availability'. A key factor in timetable, route changes and cancellations is the age of CalMac's 35-strong fleet. Many vessels - most of which are leased from the state-owned ferry procurement agency CMAL -have been forced to operate beyond their expected lifespans, leading to growing levels of breakdowns. The Mail on Sunday has told how over the past decade, the repair bill for CalMac's eight largest ferries was £100million. And last month, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told John Swinney at First Minister's Questions that overall, the company had spent £250million on its breakdown-prone fleet since 2014. Examples of swingeing delays due to breakdowns include the 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, which is supposed to cover the busy Arran route and has required more than £22million of repairs. It has been out of service since January 2024. In April, it emerged taxpayers had been left with a £1million compensation bill for food and hotels for travellers stranded by cancelled and disrupted CalMac sailings since 2021. Scandal has dogged SNP ministers in particular after they signed off the purchase of two CalMac boats, the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa, for the West Coast in 2015 for £97million. While the Glen Sannox was delivered seven years late, the Glen Rosa is set to be delivered eight years late, with the total cost for the vessels passing £460million. Mr Sarwar recently went further and said Mr Swinney's SNP had spent almost £500million on the two ferries - and 'cannot be trusted with the public's money'. Despite the problems, ministers awarded CalMac a £3.7billion contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides services for another ten years in May. And last week, the state-owned shipyard which was tasking with building Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, Ferguson Marine, was at the centre of a scathing Holyrood report. The public audit committee said a host of failures and a battered reputation had left Ferguson Marine with an empty order book and at risk of collapse - and warned that without more 'urgent investment' from taxpayers, the 'viability' of the Clydeside yard was in doubt. A CalMac spokeswoman said that the more than 10,000 cancelled trips represented just five per cent of their planned sailings since 2023. She added: 'In a typical day we operate over 450 sailings and our staff work hard to provide a good service in challenging circumstances. In fact, poor weather remains the most common cause of disruption. 'In terms of technical problems, these do happen with an aging fleet and in increasingly challenging weather. 'However, the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce these and modern vessels will improve the reliability and resilience of services across the whole network.' A Transport Scotland spokesman said: 'Between January 1 2023 and April 30 2025, over 95 per cent of the 391,139 scheduled sailings operated. 'We are investing in six, new, major vessels to serve Scotland's ferry network from early 2025, alleviating the need for extensive repairs on older vessels and improving reliability. 'Contracts have also been signed for a further seven, new, smaller vessels to serve the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. 'CalMac are delivering services in increasingly challenging weather and the arrival of 13 new vessels by 2029, which started with MV Glen Sannox in January this year, will reduce technical issues and these modern vessels should also be able to operate in more challenging weather and sea conditions.'
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Urgent investment needed to secure future of Ferguson Marine
It has faced difficulties in delivering two new ferries, Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, both of which are late and over-budget, and recently missed out on a £175m contract to build seven new ferries of CalMac. The yard has no further contracts lined up after it delivers Glen Rosa, now due in early 2026, and an audit published in December 2024 highlighted "a material risk and uncertainty over FMPG's ability to continue as a going concern, for at least 12 months from the date of signing the accounts". Read More: Having considered that audit, Holyrood's cross-party Public Audit Committee has released its report into the future of Ferguson Marine. The committee comprised convenor Richard Leonard (Scottish Labour), deputy convener Jamie Greene (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Colin Beattie (SNP), Graham Simpson (Scottish Conservatives), and Stuart McMillan (SNP). It found "multiple and repeated failings, including leadership and board instability, inadequate internal audit, serious weakness in contractor oversight and governance failures around exit packages for senior staff", with trade union involvement in decision-making minimal and considered inadequate. Frequent changes among senior management had an adverse effect on governance, while weak internal controls and lack of internal audit until recently contributed to poor oversight. In addition, payments approved to a contractor and exit packages for senior executives bypassed Scottish Government approval. The report highlighted an incident in which Ferguson Marine was hit with a £48,000 tax bill from HMRC after entering into a contractor payment arrangement for a secondee from CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited) who was initially seconded to FMPG, later moved to FMPG's payroll, then - without proper board approval - switched to being paid as a self-employed contractor. The committee expressed serious concerns over the yard's viability as a going concern going forward, saying considerable investment will be needed to safeguard its future. It urged the Scottish Government and Ferguson marine to finalise and publish a credible long-term business plan to secure sustainable work; invest in modernisation to make the yard more competitive; strengthen governance structures and ensure future funding and investment decisions are be subject to rigorous value-for-money tests and proper approval. Committee Convener Richard Leonard MSP said: 'It is clear to the Public Audit Committee that there has been a long standing weakness in the management, governance and financial sustainability of this yard. That there are currently no further orders raises significant concerns for us about the future of the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde and its workforce. 'This is a state-owned yard and the Scottish Government must do more to ensure that not only is its future secure, but that the MV Glen Rosa can be delivered as soon as possible. There has to be better oversight and governance of the work that is ongoing. 'There is no doubt that the yard has suffered significant reputational damage and that the workers at Ferguson Marine deserve better, the communities waiting for a new ferry deserve better and the people of Scotland deserve better. 'But it doesn't have to be this way. Our Committee believes that the yard can once again be competitive. There is no shortage of potential work. With investment, and better oversight, this yard which has a distinctive and proud history can have a distinguished and positive future.' Responding to the committee's report, GMB Scotland, the biggest union at Ferguson Marine, echoed calls for investment and the direct award of contracts, including the replacement for Lord of the Isles, to the Port Glasgow yard. Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said workers must be allowed to restore a world-class reputation unfairly damaged by delays and overspends affecting the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. She said: 'People have short memories but, before these misjudged and ill-planned contracts, this yard successfully built a third of CalMac's current fleet, including the original Lord of the Isles. 'Workers must now be given the chance to restore what was a worldwide reputation for excellence that has been damaged through no fault of their own. 'Before being turned into a political football, they delivered a steady stream of ferries serving Scotland's islands and must be allowed to do so again. 'Ministers and their civil servants insist direct awards are not straightforward but what could be more straightforward than Scotland's publicly-owned shipyard working in tandem with Scotland's ferry operators. 'Whoever is to blame for the failures around the most recent contracts it is not the workers. 'They deserve the support of ministers and that starts with being given the chance to build the kind of ferries they successfully completed for generations. 'The yard needs a steady pipeline of work and that can start with the Lord of Isles.' Ferguson Marine was one of six yards to make it to the second stage of the tender process for seven new CalMac ferries, but the contract ultimately went to Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdansk. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government's decision to take Ferguson Marine into public ownership saved the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde. "We are ensuring the long-term future of the Yard and the workforce and will invest up to £14.2 million in the yard over the next two years in order to help it modernise and secure future business. "Scottish Ministers expressed their disappointment and frustration to the Board of FMPG at the confirmation of a further delay and increased estimated cost to deliver the Glen Rosa. "They also made it clear to the yard's leadership that it must take immediate and sustained action to restore trust, enforce delivery discipline, and bring the project under control. 'This will be delivered alongside the development of the business's future commercial strategy, which is being spearheaded by a new CEO to enable Ferguson Marine to win new business in its target markets.'
Scottish Sun
22-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed
Statistics have sparked fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DOG-fouling laws have been described as 'all bark, no bite' after a big drop in prosecutions. The collapse has fuelled fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Dog-fouling laws were described as 'all bark, no bite' after a drop in prosecutions Credit: Alamy Latest figures show only one person was nabbed by cops or other agencies in 2021-22 under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. That compares to a high of 86 taken to court in 2013/14 for failing to pick up their pet's poo on streets, parks, paths and footie pitches. Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene, who uncovered the stats, said they were the result of years of underfunding for councils. He hit out: 'Ever since the SNP started slashing budgets, local authorities have been dogged by a poo problem. 'Figures show there are now barely any prosecutions. This will encourage bad owners because they show the law is all bark, no bite. The Scottish Government needs to ensure police and councils are properly resourced to tackle this.' Under the law, culprits can be hit with fines of up to £100. Data also reveals a big drop in anti-social behaviour crimes recorded by cops. Offences plummeted by 46 per cent in the last decade from 320,000 to fewer than 175,000. The largest drop was for enforcing anti-urinating laws, with 11,216 crimes in 2014/15 and 759 in 2023/24. Police Scotland has been accused of abandoning low-level crime due to a lack of officers. In March last year, the force confirmed it won't investigate some cases where there's no CCTV, witnesses, or other obvious leads. Driver opens stranger's car door to stop an emergency & faces charges – she broke little-known law to save a life A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'We have invested a record £1.64billion in policing this year and provided councils with a record £15billion."
