TAXPAYERS are picking up the tab for the new boss of the Scottish Government’s scandal-hit shipyard to travel to and from his home in Canada, MSPs were told today.
John Petticrew took over as Ferguson Marine interim chief executive in March after former CEO David Tydeman was ditched amid mounting delays in the long-running Holyrood ferries fiasco.
The yard at Port Glasgow has been dogged by scandal with taxpayers facing a bill of around £400 million – four times over budget – with two undelivered CalMac vessels at least six years late.
And today the cash effectively being paid by the public to the new boss came under scrutiny, weeks after it emerged Mr Tydeman got a £100,000 “golden goodbye” despite the firm’s board sacking him.
At Holyrood’s public audit committee – where MSPs are meant to scrutinise the use of public funds – Tory MSP Graham Simpson said he’d previously asked in a written question about Mr Pettricrew’s relocation expenses but was told he wasn’t getting any, as he lived in Canada.
The MSP said: “I was told his remuneration package includes a ‘travel and subsistence allowance’.
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“So is the government paying for Mr Petticrew to travel from Canada to Scotland?”
Dermot Rhatigan, the Scottish Government’s deputy director for strategic commercial assets, who was being quizzed by MSPs, responded that it was “a contractual matter between the business and Mr Petticrew”.
But he said: “He hasn’t received a relocation package. He hasn’t relocated from Canada to Scotland. He lives in Canada and he’s got an appointment as an interim chief executive for six months.
“And like all other employees at the yard, he’s entitled to claim for travel and subsistence.”
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Mr Simpson then said: “Travel expenses – from Canada?”
Mr Rhatigan responded: “The details of that, I don’t know, .. what he would be claiming for under his expenses, I don’t have the detail of that.
“But he would be entitled to claim for expenses that he’d incurred as part of needing to be here to undertake his duties in Scotland.”
Labour MSP and committee convener Richard Leonard asked if Mr Petticrew was “going to be flying backwards and forwards every weekend”.
He said: “How regularly would you expect somebody in that position to draw down the expenses they’re contractually entitled to?”
Mr Rhatigan replied: “We can take that to the business, or if you want to write to the business they would give you details on that. But it is a contractual matter.
“As far as I understand he’s not travelling weekly between Scotland and Canada, but I don’t know the details of how often he’s made that journey.”
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Mr Petticrew had been a non-executive board member of Ferguson Marine since 2022 but took over as interim CEO in March.
SNP cabinet minister Mairi McAllan told parliament at the time that Mr Petticrew was “temporarily relocating to the United Kingdom”.
“Travel expenses – from Canada?”
Graham Simpson MSP
The two vessels for public-owned Calmac were meant to cost £97 million and be delivered in 2018, with the delays hitting island communities left to rely on a creaking fleet.
In September, it emerged the price tag had risen to £368.25 million – plus “contingency” spend of up to £30.6 million.
In April, it emerged the first of the two ferries being built for CalMac – the Glen Sannox – would not be handed over until the end of July, in the latest delay to the project.
Mr Petticrew accepted the delay would be a “disappointment”, particularly for locals on the Arran, which the ferry is due to serve.
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He added the shipyard “remains confident” the second vessel – the Glen Rosa – could be delivered by September 2025.
The Scottish Government and Ferguson Marine have been asked for comment and more details on Mr Petticrew’s claims.