Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving and modernising our ferry services and better meeting the needs of island residents, businesses and communities. The Infrastructure Investment Plan referenced capital investment of at least £580 million for ferries, port infrastructure, and related activities. In addition to the projects highlighted in the IIP, the Scottish Government has committed around £115 million for two new major vessels for the Little Minch routes. The draft Islands Connectivity Plan - Vessels and Port Plan provides further detail on the overall programme.

The total spend on ferries infrastructure, excluding Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which are covered separately, between 2021-22 and 2025-26 is expected to be around £700 million, subject to approvals, funding, and relevant procurement processes. All capital projects are subject to inflation and costs and impacts are considered as part of the individual business case process.

The Islands Connectivity Plan recognises that Councils face the same challenges as the Scottish Government of meeting transport connectivity needs with ageing vessels in a time of financial challenge and this Government has already provided more than £220 million between 2018-19 and 2024-25 to the four local authorities that have responsibility for ferries.

Procurement of its ferries, whether new or second-hand, is a matter for Orkney Islands Council, however, we remain committed to the Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force and supporting the Council to develop a robust business case for replacing vessels and upgrading port infrastructure. Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited is already working with the Council to help assess the harbour and ports infrastructure upgrades that may be required and procurement processes for future vessels.

The Scottish Government provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People (NCTS) which provides free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible older and disabled people. However, concessionary travel on other modes of transport, such as rail, is the responsibility of local authorities, which have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 1985 to provide and fund local concessionary travel schemes for residents. The extent and terms of any such scheme are for individual local authorities to consider and decide upon but are limited to be within the local authority or region boundary.

Further information on the specific Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Scheme can be found here: Concessions | SPT | Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, the updated Vessel and Ports Plan was published for consultation on 1 February 2024. The Plan provides a long-term plan to 2045 for the vessel and port investment considered necessary to address the key challenges of reliability and resilience by modernising the fleet and reducing the average age to 15 years by the end of the decade.

The Plan also makes clear that the timing of the delivery of individual projects remains subject to Value for Money, prioritisation and affordability.

The final versions of the Islands Connectivity Plan’s Strategic Approach Paper and the Vessels and Ports Plan are expected to be published later this year.

The requested spend information is as follows

a) Vessel spend to date since the launch of the IIP has been just over £145.1m. This funding aligns to the Islay class vessels which were increased from two to four vessels.

b) The capital investment funding provided to CMAL on piers and harbours projects in the last three financial years since the launch of the IIP equates to around £70m.

CMAL continue to be tasked by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland to seek suitable second hand tonnage. Where a vessel is thought to have the potential to supplement the existing fleet, a business case will developed to be considered by Ministers. Affordability and Value for Money would be key considerations.

Firefighter training and the provision of precautionary advice is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have provided reassurance that all necessary training is provided to staff, to ensure they appropriately manage any incident, including those at recycling and electronic recycling centres.

This is an operational matter for SFRS. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have the resources in place to provide the appropriate response to every emergency incident which occurs in Scotland. All fires can present a risk to firefighters which is why SFRS has taken all necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of their staff.

Transport Scotland has written to a range of stakeholders to publicise the pilot as well as the ongoing public survey which will form an input into the final evaluation of the pilot.

In addition, ScotRail has ran an extensive marketing campaign across radio, TV, press and social media to highlight the potential pilot as well as regular social media posts which have reached a potential 15.8 million people.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Mixed Tenure Improvement Scheme (MTIS) is operated under the Area Based Schemes which are designed, managed and delivered solely by Scottish local authorities or their managing agents. Hence any complaints about the MTIS should be directed to the council for resolution. The City of Edinburgh Council has a dispute resolution process for dealing with complaints which was used in the council’s first MTIS project undertaken in Westerhailes.