Here's a quick recap of the headlines from today's ministerial statment.

• The Scottish government has reiterated its support of a viable future for Ferguson Marine yard
• Certification by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has led to an increase the cost of delivering two over-budget and delayed ferries
• The Glen Sannox will begin sea trials in January and the Glen Rosa will have its slipway launch and naming ceremony on 12 March 2024, says Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray
• The minister expresses "much regret and disappointment" at the further delays to the delivery dates and further increase in costs
• The estimate for completion of the Glen Sannox is around £130m and £100m for Glen Rosa, says the minister.
• He adds this is an increase of £32m for the Glen Sannox and an increase of £4.8m for the Glen Rosa
• Neil Gray says the delivery date projection for the Glen Sannox is 31 March 2024 and 31 May 2025 for the Glen Rosa

• Audit Scotland this morning published a report warning there will be no more contracts in place beyond the two Calmac ferries
• Tory MSP Graham Simpson says the yard's workers will have watched this statement "with a sense of despair" and asks if the yard genuinely has a future
• For Labour, Katy Clark says there has been "a catalogue of mistakes" and she warns the government not to "sabotage" the shipyard by failing to allow it to be competitive
• Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton says the ferries scandal is "enough to make Kim Jong Un blush"

Thank you for joining us today for our live coverage. Paul McLaren was the editor and Craig Hutchison and Auryn Cox were the writers.

The longer the delay, the worse the prospects for the yard's futurepublished at 15:30 Greenwich Mean Time 14 November 2023

15:30 GMT 14 November 2023

David Henderson
BBC Scotland Business and Transport Correspondent

The Scottish government has sunk almost half a billion pounds into the Ferguson shipyard and its long-delayed ferries.

But now it seems reluctant to commit more funds.

So you might ask - why?

Shipyard bosses want to secure the future of the yard, by building seven new small Calmac ferries.

They want a direct award for that work - so they face no competition for it.

The Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray didn't rule out that idea.

But he didn't commit either, and warned that direct awards could only happen in limited circumstances.

Breaching those rules, he said, could lead to legal challenge and delays.

Image source, Getty Images

What then are the prospects for the yard's other great hope - new funding for a plating line?

This, they say, would allow them to compete for contracts to build sections of Type 26 warships for BAE Systems at Govan.

Again, no funds were committed.

The business case for this investment is still being developed, we were told.

But there's a problem - a decision is urgently required.

The plating line has to be ordered from its Finnish builders by the end of the year, if the machinery is to be installed at the shipyard by 2026.

The longer the delay, the worse the prospects for the shipyard's immediate future.

But ministers have had their fingers burned before - and are reluctant to waste any more taxpayers' money.

Neil Gray confirmed the second ferry, the MV Glen Rosa, will be launched on 12 March 2024.

We don't yet know if it'll be the last major vessel to be built at the Ferguson yard.

Scottish Conservative MSP Edward Mountain asks how much money is it going to take to keep "this vital yard" in operation?

Gray says he pointed out earlier that the business plan is subject to change and says the government are working with the yard to unsure it is responsive to changing market conditions.

"We are committed to ensuring as far as we possibly can that there is a sustainable commercial shipbuilding operation on the Clyde," he says.

Alex Cole-Hamilton says parliament will be forgiven for "not celebrating the Glen Rosa launch date because Nicola Sturgeon's pretend christening of the Glen Sannox six years ago cane with painted on windows, fake engines and the wrong bow".

The Scottish Lib Dem leader adds: "It's enough to make Kim Jong Un blush."

He says island communities are still suffering and he asks "why no SNP minister has ever resigned over a scandal that can be seen from space".

Neil Gray chooses to respond to a question about how much the vessels will be worth going forward, and says that figure will be publicly available on completion.

Former SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes says the yard can only survive if it is allowed to be competitive.

She asks if that is the case?

Gray answers that officials are working with the yard on a revised business plan to ensure it can remain competitive.

He adds that any government investment that does not meet the correct regulatory standards and subsidy legislation would leave any such award open to legal challenge.

"How much was requested by Ferguson Marine for a new plating line?" asks Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden.

Neil Gray replies that the "business case and the request for capital investment in the yard has been set out previously".

The minister says he will support the yard going forward with the revised business case and will help to ensure the yard remains competitive.

Labour MSP Katy Clark says there has already been a catalogue of mistakes by the government and the shipyard management.

She adds the Scottish government must accept no further delay and cannot stand back and "sabotage" the shipyard by preventing it from competing competitively.

Gray agrees that his government wants to see competitive shipbuilding on the Clyde and says that is why his government are doing all they can do support it.

The two ferries, one of which is nearing completion, will provide island communities with a boost to their economies, Neil Gray says

The yard itself remains of vital local significance and to Scotland's national economy.

"The progress I have outlined today delivers on those commitments," he concludes.

Neil Gray responds by insisting there is good news in the declaration of the MCA allowing the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa to be able to proceed.

He tells the chamber he also welcomes the Glen Rosa launch date being confirmed.

The request for funding is still undergoing development, the minister adds, and the government will continue to work with the yard on bringing that final application forward.

"It's not clear, it's not definitive yet," he says.

Graham Simpson says many workers would have been hoping for some good news about the yard today.

However, the Tory MSP adds: "Workers will be watching this and feeling a sense of despair."

He says investment in a new plating line is essential and time critical, but the cabinet secretary is saying it cannot proceed.

Simpson insists there will be no order book without that investment and asks if the cabinet secretary truly thinks the yard has a future without the further time critical investment that's been asked for?

Gray says both the yard and Scottish government recognise that any investment must support a business plan which reflects evolving circumstances, is genuinely deliverable and meets legal requirements.

"We will leave no stone unturned in finding a way forward," he adds.

He says he hopes he has convinced people that his government is committed to retaining shipbuilding on the Clyde and that the vessels are delivered to island communities as soon as possible.

The minister says the Scottish government's priority when it comes to the future of the yard is to protect jobs and create a sustainable future for it.

He adds that any investment in the yard must meet subsidy request rules, represent value for money and be open to parliamentary scrutiny.

He adds that the markets which the shipyard operate in continue to change and a key component of the initial investment was contingent on a particular type of work which the FMPG board recently concluded should not be pursued at this time.

The public audit committee had asked the minister to provide any relevant information from the previous due diligence reports.

Gray says he must consider whether the passage of time has reduced the commercial sensitivity of the reports and says he will respond to the committee formally by the required date.

"In reaching a decision I must always be guided by the need to ensure we do not harm the ability of the shipyard to compete for and secure future work," he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Neil Gray says the delivery date projection for the Glen Sannox is 12 March 2024 and 31 May 2025 for the Glen Rosa.

The minister explains the costs and delays are being scrutinised and he will update the Public Audit Committee as soon as he can.

He says: "To consider a reprocurement would be detrimental to the island communities," he says.

It would mean pushing back the delivery date for the Glen Rosa to 2028 and he is not prepared to let the communities down in that way, he adds.

The wellbeing economy secretary says it was with "much regret and disappointment" that he noted the most recent update from the chief executive at Ferguson Marine which set out delays to the delivery dates and an increase in the estimated costs.

The estimate for completion of the Glen Sannox is around £130m and £100m for Glen Rosa, says the minister.

He adds this is an increase of £32m for the Glen Sannox and an increase of £4.8m for the Glen Rosa.

In the summer of 2023, the construction of the ferries was dealt a new blow when it emerged that safety changes were required before the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) would issue a passenger safety certificate. Without that, the ships cannot sail in UK waters.

The MCA's concern was over passenger evacuation routes in the event of a serious threat such as a fire.

In some scenarios, passengers would need to exit via the crew decks - but that meant a different set of rules over corridor width and staircase capacity would apply to these areas.

In a letter to MSPs the yard's boss David Tydeman initially suggested that the MCA had changed its interpretation of the rules - but the MCA hit back, saying the same rules had been in place for years.

Last month, when he appeared before Holyrood's net zero committee, Mr Tydeman conceded the yard had been "overconfident" about getting MCA approval.

Ferguson Marine has now come up with a solution, which includes fitting extra staircases to both Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, which appears to have satisfied the regulators.

As part of the solution of the passenger capacity of the vessels will be reduced from 1,000 to 852.

Neil Gray says he welcomes the scrutiny of the Scottish Parliament into the ferries contract.

He turns to the certification by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which has led to an increase in costs.

Ferguson Marine enjoys good relationships with the MCA, insists Gray.

He points out a number of modifications have been made to the original design in the last few months in order to secure certification by the MCA.

The Glen Sannox will move to phase one of the dockside trials and there will be sea trials in January.

The Glen Rosa will have its slipway launch and naming ceremony on 12 March 2024, says the minister.

Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work & Energy Secretary Neil Gray begins the Ferguson Marine statement by stressing the commitment to ensure a viable future for the yard.

Gray says he wants to maintain shipbuilding in and around Inverclyde.

Ferguson needs the 'drumbeat of work'published at 14:15 Greenwich Mean Time 14 November 2023

14:15 GMT 14 November 2023

David Henderson
BBC Scotland Transport Correspondent

The Ferguson shipyard and its long-delayed ferries are a source of deep frustration in island communities and controversy at Holyrood. So today's statement - billed blandly as being all about "progress" - is worth a watch.

Since it was rescued from collapse back in 2014, the shipyard has consumed the best part of £500m in taxpayers' money. Two ferries are being built there for Calmac. But they are six years late and three-and-a-half times over budget.

And although the yard's been nationalised, its future still hangs in the balance. Today's report from spending watchdog Audit Scotland highlights why. The Scottish government has confirmed support for the yard for this year, it says.

But it warns there are still no more contracts in place, beyond the two Calmac ferries. So there's "risk and uncertainty" around the "future financial sustainability" of the Ferguson yard.

What can be done? Bosses at Fergusons desperately need a "drumbeat of work" to keep the workforce busy.

They're eyeing up new contracts to build seven small ferries for Calmac. That's the lifeline they're seeking.

They also want more funding for a so-called plating line. This would help them compete for valuable work, building parts of Type 26 warships for the BAE Systems yard at Govan.

All this would mean jam tomorrow.

Today, reports suggest regulators have approved safety changes on board the two delayed ferries. And we may see ministerial approval of funding for the latest £24 million overspend on the vessels.

That's more taxpayers' money wasted or invested, depending how you see it.

Scotland's long-running ferries saga is a complicated story with many of the facts still hotly-contested but here are some of the key moments:

• August 2014 - The Clyde's last remaining commercial shipyard, Ferguson Shipbuilders, goes bust just weeks before the independence referendum but is soon rescued by businessman Jim McColl, an economic adviser to First Minister Alex Salmond
• August 2015 - McColl's company FMEL beats off competition from some of Europe's leading shipyards for a £97m order for two 100m CalMac ferries. Its bid is the most expensive but government-owned ferries procurement agency CMAL says its design is the most detailed and developed.
• The build soon runs into trouble with fabrication outpacing detailed design work. McColl says the problem is CMAL's poorly developed concept design and repeated design change requests. CMAL says the shipyard's management is to blame.
• November 2017 - Nicola Sturgeon launches the first ferry Glen Sannox to much fanfare but it later emerges the windows are painted on, the funnels are made of plywood and very little outfitting work inside the ship has been completed.
• 2019 - Construction of the ferries grinds to a halt amid a bitter dispute between CMAL and FMEL which has put in several claims for extra costs. In August the yard goes bust again and is later nationalised.
• A new turnaround director Tim Hair, appointed on a daily rate of £2,500, gets rid of the old FMEL management and design consultants. He later reports it will cost at least £110m extra to complete the ships, on top of £83m already handed over.
• Costs continue rise and further delays are announced. In late 2021 the workforce threaten a no-confidence vote in the management team. A new chief executive David Tydeman is appointed in February 2022.
• September 2022 - A BBC documentary, The Great Ferries Scandal, presents evidence that the contract for the ferries may have been "rigged" by CMAL in favour of Ferguson Marine. Workers tell the programme they always doubted whether the yard was capable of building two such large ships simultaneously. A lawyer-led inquiry commissioned by CMAL later finds no evidence of "fraud" but does not investigate whether procurement rules were broken.
• Summer 2022 - Safety regulator the MCA refuses to issue a passenger safety certificate unless emergency evacuation routes are modified. The nationalised yard has to widen corridors and fit extra staircases.
• The first ship, Glen Sannox, is currently due for delivery next March, six years late - while the second, Glen Rosa, will not be handed over until late in 2024. The cost of them is heading towards the £400m mark.