THE Scottish Government has come under fire for blaming CalMac for the latest wave of ferry chaos which led to a major demonstration of contempt on one island badly affected.
It comes as ministers rejected a call for CalMac performance penalties to be used to compensate islanders for cuts to services because of lack of investment in Scotland's ageing ferry fleet.m
Standing in for transport minister Kevin Stewart who resigned the position today, net zero and just transition secretary Màiri McAllan rejected calls for the millions that have handed over by the Scottish Government-owned ferry operator by way of performance fines to compensate for the loss to services caused by vessels breaking down.
But she also came under fire for blaming CalMac for the row which resulted in public demonstrations on South Uist.
READ MORE: Hundreds of islanders, cars and lorries in demo over CalMac ferry cuts
On Sunday, an estimated 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries converged on Lochboisdale - the port which links South Uist to the mainland - in a protest over CalMac's decision to cancel almost every ferry service in June to the island due to continuing problems with its ageing fleet.
The issues were further exacerbated over the weekend when CalMac blocked motorhomes from going to and from North Uist from Saturday morning because of a problem with MV Hebrides' mezzanine deck.
The Lochboisdale protest. Credit: Carla Regler
The level of fines for performance issued by government agency Transport Scotland hit a record £3m in 2021/22. And in the six months from October 2022 to March 2023 the penalties had already reached £1.45m.
But Ms McAllan said that ministers wanted to use the money to improve the resilience of the ferry network and some of it had already been used for bringing in MV Alfred for a nine-month-charter from Pentland Ferries at a cost of £9m.
Some 18 of of CalMac's 35 working ferries deployed across Scotland are now over 25 years old - considered the working life of the vessels.
The oldest in the CalMac fleet is is the Isle of Cumbrae which is 47-years old.
Two new lifeline ferries Glen Sannox and Hull 802 were due online in the first half of 2018 when Ferguson Marine was under the control of tycoon Jim McColl, with one intitially to serve Arran and the other to serve the Skye triangle routes to North Uist and Harris, but they are over five years late. The last estimates suggested the costs of delivery were to quadruple from an original £97m contract price.
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Scottish Labour's shadow rural economy and tourism secretary Rhoda Grant said that a resilience fund should be set up using the performance penalties to support people and business who are "going to the wall right now because of the government's incompetence".
She said: "They could have bought the boat for £9m. Here in Edinburgh, businesses were rightly compensated due to disruption when the trams line was being built.
"It seems to me that it's out of sight out of mind. If it happened in Edinburgh, we wouldn't get away with it, if it happens in South Uist, just forget it."
Ms MacAllan said: "I want to acknowledge very clearly the dissatisfaction and upset which is felt. Ministers are very well aware of the strength of feeling from engagement that we've had, including from the former transport minister's recent visit to South Uist and for meetings including with the South Uist business impact group.
"Technical issues with major vessels and delays to the annual overhaul programme have led to cancellations of sailings and regrettably there are some [communities] which have been more impacted than others. "Ultimately, South Uist evidenced this by their demonstration on Sunday. The fact that they have lost confidence in CalMac I think is clear to see. We have expressed our disappointment at CalMac and how the communications engagement has been handled.
"And I've been very clear that no stone must be left unturned in addressing the issues with Uists And I've asked urgently that CalMac review the route prioritisation matrix to ensure that it reflects the socio-economic impacts which pertain in particular to fragile communities like South Uist.
But Ms Grant said the Scottish Government should not be blaming CalMac.
"This is not a problem with communications it is a problem due to the lack of ferries and the blame for the lack of ferries sits squarely at the door of her government. She must stop passing the buck because South Uist has lost confidence not in CalMac but in the Scottish Government. She must be concerned when she sees a third of the population of South Uist demonstrate their displeasure."
Ms MacAllan responded: "The operational matters on the running of the network, they are for CalMac, so it's only right that I reflect that in this parliament but I will not prevaricate on the point that pressure in our ferry network is as acute as it has been.
READ MORE: Revealed: Ministers' five-year-old warning over Ferguson Marine costs.
"Ministers empathise deeply with communities who have been affected. We understand their frustration, and for our part for what we are responsible for, we are working in the here and now to press CalMac on the prioritization matrix. On communications, I understand that is perhaps the tip of the iceberg but it is important nonetheless for day to day activities...
Lochboisdale protests. Credit: Carla Regler.
"We've looked at the penalty deductions that are made in relation to failures on the network. And my view is that we should continue to use that money to reinvest in the ferry network. The £9m cost of the charter of the MV Alfred which is currently providing resilience on the route is partly funded by performance deductions from CalMac. I think it's great that that money continues to be used for that purpose because we can see how it adds resilience to the network.
"I will continue to engage with communities on this and indeed press CalMac to do likewise. But I think that what communities want most of all, is a ferry service that is reliable for them so that they can get on with their lives without having to worry about the disruption, disruption which I flatly acknowledge is causing upset..."
She later indicated that she would not "close myself off" from having discussions about "any things that communities are calling for" after being pressed further on compensation for lost earnings.
"So I recommit ministers to having those conversations like that that we had with the South Uist business impact group like those that we are having with CalMac.
"But I reiterate that which I said in the previous point on compensation, that I do believe that what islanders want most of all is for the Scottish Government and for CalMac to focus on improving the service in the here and now and for the future, so that reliability is not something that communities have to worry about on a daily basis.
"I've narrated already, how some of the penalty deductions that are made from CalMac are utilised to provide that very resilience everyone so much desires, and I believe that that is the right way to continue to address the issue of financing improvements, albeit that I am listening to everyone with a view on this matter."
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