Chamber and committees

I want to focus on the licensing system. We have not allowed the witnesses to explain why they came to the conclusion that it was necessary to legislate in order to address abuses. You have mentioned that the vast majority of estates operate responsibly, but what evidence led you to conclude that there is a need for a code of practice, for example? Can you give us a flavour of the incidents and evidence that drew you to the conclusion that a code of practice is necessary?

Your review recommended SNH—or NatureScot, as it is now—as the licensing authority. Does the bill that we are looking at allow for a scheme that you feel NatureScot is in a position to deliver?

Without second guessing what SNH—or NatureScot—might do, do you have any views about the choices that it faces in terms of licensing? You said that it should be light touch. What is the scope of the options that you feel we should be considering?

I must make progress now.

Hauliers have frequently faced delay and rerouting over hundreds of miles. Time-critical shellfish exports have sometimes not been able to reach European markets timeously.

Even before the latest disruption in Uist, businesses had approached me to say that they were not convinced that they could survive this year as a result of these issues. Of course, the complete withdrawal of the ferry service from South Uist makes the situation even more critical.

The Scottish Government has rightly made ensuring a reliable ferry service a priority. We all want to see the new Islay class vessels, as well as those at Port Glasgow, come into service, but—as I hope that I have illustrated—there are businesses across Uist that cannot afford to wait. What is happening in Uist is in a different league from what is happening in many other places.

The Government’s amendment clearly recognises—

I conclude there, and I recognise that the Government amendment goes some way—in fact, a great deal of the way—towards acknowledging those problems, which are very real.

A number of my constituents have recently expressed concern that some of the companies that are listed on the R100 website as being active in the Western Isles and, as such, able to utilise the R100 vouchers are declining to undertake the work when approached by interested residents. What more could be done to make it clearer which companies will do the work in the islands so that people can use the vouchers that they are entitled to?

I can identify with what Donald Cameron said, which is why I tried to phrase my remarks carefully. No, we should not be in a position where islands are in competition with each other; of course, when there are not enough ships, they inevitably are. I point to the particular situation in South Uist and I hope that my remarks are clear about what they have been suffering.

The focus on passenger numbers to the detriment of all other considerations is, I believe, leading those who operate ferry services to drift from their core purpose. That is how we get to a route prioritisation matrix that was devised without any input from communities, and which strips an island of all its ferry services for the whole month of June.

I therefore welcome the cabinet secretary’s remarks, in which she is—it would seem—willing to question that matrix. There is no lack of evidence for the economic damage that is being caused. One example that was reported by Business Gateway in Uist detailed a 40 per cent drop in bookings for accommodation providers. Hauliers, who are not supported through compensation from CalMac, have frequently—

We all know about, and we have quite rightly rehearsed today, the problems facing the CalMac network. There are not enough ships. The ships that are there are ageing. They are breaking down more often, and those repairs are taking longer. CalMac, which was once very much considered part of the fabric of life in the islands, risks increasingly being seen by islanders as remote and bureaucratic.

Continuing disruption has hit many businesses in my constituency hard, nowhere more so—I should say—than in Uist. Lochboisdale is not typically a place where you will see protests and mass demonstrations. As others have pointed out, the fact that one third of the island’s resident population came out to demonstrate against the recent complete withdrawal of the ferry service says much about the pain that is being felt there.

South Uist has, in fact, regularly suffered more from service disruption than anywhere else on the Clyde and Hebrides network. Over the course of a year, there were 225 cancelled sailings versus 479 that operated. That is an astonishingly high cancellation rate, and it is easily higher than the rate anywhere else on the network. Winter was particularly bad, with only a quarter of scheduled sailings operating between November and March.

Lifeline services should, in the first instance, serve island communities. I carefully preface my next remark by acknowledging that every island in Scotland needs a good ferry service. However, while other islands with smaller populations get two or even four-vessel services, the whole string of islands from Eriskay to Berneray has to share half of a single ferry between North Uist and Skye at the moment.

Despite previously benefiting enormously from European Union funding, does the minister share my view that the Western Isles received nothing in either round of the levelling up fund? Does he also share my views that the apparent determination of the UK Government to ignore the devolution settlement is unhelpful and that structural funds should be devolved to the Scottish Government as a priority?

I agree with your point that some of the funding for the big cities reflects the fact that people come into big cities to access stuff. However, when you measure success rates, do you also take account of the fact that visiting some parts of the country—I represent the Western Isles—would involve an overnight stay and that those places are therefore out of some people’s reach? That is not a case against the centres of excellence in the Burrell collection or the national museum of Scotland, but are we measuring success in terms of enabling people to access national assets that are in places that are so far away that an overnight stay is involved?