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Labour has called for “full transparency” over the leasing deal which results from the new MV Loch Seaforth being the first-ever ferry sailing under Caledonian MacBrayne colours not to be publicly-owned.

Western Isles candidate, Alasdair Morrison, said the communities to be served by the Seaforth were entitled to know the terms of the deal which involves Lloyds Banking Group owning the vessel, leasing it to Caledonian Maritime Assets who in turn sub-lease it to Caledonian MacBrayne.

Mr Morrison said: “The more this story unravels, the greater the impression of a privatising agenda within the Scottish Government and a total disregard for the right of communities directly affected by decisions relating to ferries.

Labour demands “full transparency” over new ferry lease

19 March 2015

“It appears that at least £5 million of the CalMac subsidy will be committed for the next 20 years to sub-leasing the Loch Seaforth via the infrastructure company, CMAL. But nobody seems to know the terms on which this secret deal has been done, or by whom.

“This has to be looked at over the lifespan of the Loch Seaforth. Who will pay for major repairs if they are required? Who will be responsible for replacing her on the Stornoway-Ullapool route in the event of major breakdowns or other unforeseen circumstances, which are not exactly unknown?”

“Unless we know the terms of the deal done with Lloyds Bank by the Scottish Government, we have no idea of where responsibility lies, or at what cost. This is a totally unique situation since this SNP Government is the first, of any political complexion, to procure a CalMac ferry under a private finance initiative.”

Mr Morrison said it was “insulting to island communities to claim commercial confidentiality” when the money would come out of subsidy to CalMac or whoever else might replace them.

He added: “If they are paying £5 million or £10 million a year to the Lloyds Banking Group, then that is £5 million or £10 million a year less to subsidise operations over the CalMac network.”

He said that it was particularly important to secure the information because of the tendering process.

“It will be intolerable if companies like Serco and Stagecoach are told the terms of the Loch Seaforth lease, and make their commercial adjustments accordingly, while the people of the Western Isles are kept totally in the dark.” he said.