The Scottish Government has been accused of ignoring island communities once again after the Cabinet Secretary announced the re-appointment of Erik Østergaard OBE as chair of the David MacBrayne Ltd Board.

Writing in The Herald today, former Minister of State for Trade Policy of the UK, Brian Wilson said he was ‘startled’ by the announcement that Mr Østergaard had been reappointed alongside Tim Ingram and Grant Macrae as non-executive directors.

Fiona Hyslop, who was reappointed herself as Cabinet Secretary for Transport this May under John Swinney’s leadership, made the announcement last week.

David MacBrayne Ltd delivers the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service through its main subsidiary company CalMac Ferries Limited, which is still embroiled in the fiasco of the two long overdue vessels the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa.

Mr Østergaard, who works from his homeland Denmark, takes the job as Chair of the Board again after a stint at Caledonian Marine Assets Ltd (CMAL).

Two of the three individuals reappointed – Ingram and Macrae – have previously been criticised for never having visited a CalMac port, while Østegaard visited Stornoway and Oban once shortly after getting the job.

Brian Wilson has now publicly questioned why people who have ‘displayed so little commitment or even mild interest’ in the communities they are meant to serve are back in charge.

Writing in The Herald today, Mr Wilson said: “It is inconceivable that CalMac would have declined into its current sad condition if island voices had been heard in every forum which has contributed to the outcomes which exist – and that includes main boards.

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Erik Ostergaard has been reappointed chairman of the board at CalMac(Image: Agency)

“The CalMac board should have been screaming years ago about the protracted failure to provide the company with vessels it required to maintain a service.

“All the wrong decisions were taken without one iota of input from the places most directly affected by them. While the belated ordering of ferries from Turkey should bring some relief, they will mainly replace ones which are now a decade and more past their natural lifespans and breaking down all over the place. There is still a long way to go and communities are suffering deeply, as I can testify from having been in South Uist this week.”

Mr Wilson added: “At least the directors of White Star Line were on board the Titanic, even if they were first to claim the lifeboats. The directors of CalMac make a point of remaining at a safe distance from tedious islands and islanders. Even I was surprised by how literally true this is when I prised some information out of CalMac recently with a Freedom of Information request.

“With the greatest reluctance at the second time of asking, CalMac admitted that three out of five non-execs – including Ingram and Macrae – have never visited any CalMac port. Not Brodick, not Lochboisdale. Not anywhere. Four have never been to the Outer Isles. They do not have a clue about the human impacts of what they are entrusted to preside over and care even less. It’s just a case of “any old quango will do”.

"Throughout the entire Ferguson shipyard debacle, there was not a single islander on the board of either CMAL, the procurement disaster area, or CalMac, the operators. There is nowhere else in the world where this would not be thought peculiar or downright insulting to communities which then become victims of a spectacularly failed system. Yet nothing changes and no heads roll.”

The appointments have also caused fury among opposition MPs, one of which is the new Labour MP for the Western Isles, Torcuil Crichton.

He said: “This is truly astonishing and shows contempt for all the messages and pleas which have come from island communities”.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: ‘The reappointment of the Chair and the Board members ensures valuable expertise and experience remains within CalMac as it works to deliver the quality of service Ministers and island communities expect.

“Both the CalMac and CMAL Boards currently have islanders on them, making sure that the views and needs of island communities are represented at the highest level in each body.

“We always encourage island residents to apply for Board vacancies when they arise and it is encouraging to see that is occurring in CMAL and CalMac.”

You can read Brian Wilson’s full column here.