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The recruitment, training and retention of the workforce at Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow (Holdings) Ltd (FMPG) is a matter for FMPG.

The workforce at FMPG is diverse ranging from trades specialising in ship building as well as other professions and trades which are transferable to other sectors.

Apprenticeships continue to be a valued part of Scotland’s future workforce in cultivating fresh talent in sustaining specialised trades for our future industries. There are 52 apprentices gaining valuable industry recognised qualifications at the ship building yard in Port Glasgow.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14178 on 30 January 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government is not directly responsible for the site, or its regulation.

The Scottish Government met with SEPA and the Council in January 2023 to discuss future options for the site. At this meeting it was noted that, given new information around the increased and potential ongoing costs of the leachate management strategy, and other changes of circumstances, a fresh strategy for the management of the site should be considered to enable progress.

Subject to final approval and available funding, the intention is to fund and commission a review by consultants, who will be asked to identify the possible options for remediation at the site. Scottish Government, SEPA and the Council will then meet to consider these options.

SEPA continues to monitor ongoing environmental risks at the site and completed its latest survey in January 2023. This found no significant increasing trends associated with the impact to groundwater or water courses from leachate.

1. Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow Ltd (FMPG) have been awarded no new contracts since 16 March 2023.

2. Three bids have been submitted by FMPG since 16 March 2023.

3. FMPG have paid out a total of £23,608.83 in bonuses since 16 March 2023.

We welcome NatureScot’s Avian Influenza Report on the H5N1 outbreak in wild birds and agree that our priority both now and in the future should be on continued disease surveillance, demographic monitoring and research to inform the long-term management of our wild bird populations in light of HPAI and other pressures.

The Scottish Government will continue working with the Scottish Avian Influenza Task Force to monitor and respond to HPAI in wild birds.

In December 2022, we published our Hydrogen Action Plan setting out the actions necessary to support the development of the hydrogen economy in Scotland. These actions, include providing funding through the Scottish Government's £180m Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to support renewable hydrogen production. In addition to this we will publish our Hydrogen Export Plan later this year and we continue to assist development of a strong domestic supply chain by working with our agency partners to attract and support companies. To that end the Scottish Government hosted a Hydrogen Supply Chain Event in September 2022, which brought together over 200 stakeholders to promote and build opportunities across the value chain.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of political integrity and transparency, and takes these issues seriously. We review and update guidance when necessary. Since 2016 Scotland has been a member of the Open Government Partnership, a global partnership with civil society that works to make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. As part of this work, we will consider the options for a review of political integrity and transparency in Scotland.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite which is found in the gut of warm blooded animals and enters the water environment from faecal matter.

Scottish Water is required to assess the risk of Cryptosporidium in the water sources it uses for drinking water supplies and to design and operate water treatment processes that will remove the parasite or render it harmless. Scottish Water is also required to monitor drinking water supplies for cryptosporidium. The Drinking Water Quality Regulator provides a commentary on treated water detections in her Annual Report. Page 4 of the 2021 report covers Cryptosporidium annual-report-public-supplies-2021.pdf (dwqr.scot)

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of good governance, and takes this issue seriously. We undertake regular reviews of our corporate governance system and will consider the matter of a Good Governance Champion as part of this work.

The resource budget for SFRS is set each year in the Budget Act and the SFRS Board has responsibility for taking decisions on how that budget should be spent. There are no savings targets set out in the annual budget process and the SFRS Accountable Officer is responsible for ensuring that SFRS delivers a balanced budget and does not overspend. SFRS has achieved that each year since it was established in 2013.