Question reference: S6W-11279
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 30 September 2022
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 October 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Orkney Islands Council regarding the future (a) budget and (b) procurement process for replacing the large and small ferry fleet at Orkney Ferries.
Answer
Scottish Ministers continue to engage with Orkney Islands Council on a regular basis with regard to ferries, including my visit to Orkney in August to meet with the council on these matters.
We have made an offer to all 4 ferry operating local authorities to share learning and explore efficiencies from CMAL’s Small Vessel Replacement Programme.
We have provided more than £56m to Orkney Islands Council for internal ferry services over the last 5 years.