Yesterday in the Scottish Parliament, SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, once again highlighted the urgent need for more resilience across CalMac’s ferry network as well as establishing islands-based members on CalMac’s boards.

During yesterday afternoon’s Ministerial Statement on Ferguson Marine, Allan noted pressures on existing services to the islands, and the human consequences delays at the shipyard have had on Western Isles communities, asking:

“Can the Cabinet Secretary give an indication of how the new vessels will be utilised to alleviate some of those pressures and problems in my constituency and elsewhere?”

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes responded by reaffirming the need for the vessels currently still under construction at Ferguson marine to be completed as quickly as possible, as they are needed to provide the necessary resilience on the network. The Cabinet Secretary confirmed that a two-vessel service for the Uig triangle route was one of the options being looked at, as well as the MV Loch Frisa allowing for additional services on the Mallaig-Lochboisdale route when she comes into service later this year.

Vessels 801 and 802, currently under construction at Ferguson Marine, are now due to be delivered between March-May 2023 and October-December 2023 respectively.

In a later debate today on Scotland’s ferry services, the Transport Secretary apologised to island communities for the severe disruption to ferry services experienced this winter, as well as the issues with timely communication of disruptions, and said:

“I am acutely aware of the need for the Government, and CalMac, to improve in this regard. And whilst I cannot […] improve our fleet overnight, I am intent that we deliver a better service. And working with our island communities I will explore every possible avenue to do just that.”

Allan intervened in the Minister’s statement to make the point that CalMac and CMAL might be more responsive to communities as organisations if any of their board members actually had to use these ferry services.

The Transport Minister is due to visit the Western Isles next month at Alasdair Allan’s invitation to meet with community representatives and discuss the ferry network.


Twitter latest

Newsletter

Subscribe to Alasdair's mailing list

By ticking this box you confirm you would like to receive updates from Alasdair Allan MSP by

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at alasdair.allan.msp@parliament.scot. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use MailChimp as our marketing automation platform. By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms.