MSPS playing the blame game in over-budget ships scandal

Holyrood is awash with MSPS desperately attempting to pin the blame of the late, overbudget ferry donkey.

For politics anoraks the public audit committee in the Scottish Parliament has been a must-watch in the past couple ofweeksasmspstookevidence from Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General.

Author of the scathing report into the ferries fiasco, Mr Boyle has spoken as strongly as ever on the failings over the contract anddeliveryoftheover-budget, and late, hulls 801 and 802.

His appearance at committee resulted in a theatre for MSPS playing the blame game, but the approaches from SNP figuresandtheresponsesfrommr Boyle are telling.

Throughout his evidence sessions, he has highlighted the lack of a full builder’s refund guarantee in the contract. The preference for a 25 per cent refund guarantee, he says, transferred significant monetary risk back from the fabricator – Ferguson – to the buyer – the Scottish Government.

SNP MSP Willie Coffey spent bothsessionsblamingthequality of construction and decision to start fabrication before designs were finalised, aiming to point the finger of blame at FMEL.

The Auditor General had little time for this, stating it was not unusual to start building the ships before final designs. Mr Coffey’s SNP colleague Colin

Beattie pushed Mr Boyle on the quality of advice, claiming what ministers saw supported thesuggestionthecontractwas “broadly comparable” with the tenderspecification,whichhad initially included a full refund guarantee.

Mr Boyle said the final agreement was not “broadly comparable” and there was a “mismatch”incmal’sconcernsand communication to ministers.

But risk, particularly risk to taxpayer money, is the critical factor for the Auditor General.

It is why the lack of documentation on why the risks articulated by CMAL around the builder’srefundguaranteewere viewed as acceptable by ministers is of such importance.

The strategy of Government MSPS in the committee makes more sense in that context and boilsdowntoblamingtheshipyard, not the contract.

Withdisputesbetweencmal andfmelgoingbackyearsand ministers under pressure, one thing is clear. The blame game will continue.