Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has maintained pressure for details
of a ferries “resilience fund” through written questions at Holyrood.
She got the same answer to all of them from Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon, who
said: “The way in which the resilience fund will operate is being finalised. Information
on the routes and/or islands that will be covered, eligibility criteria, application
process and payment rates will be shared soon, including with eligible communities”.
After years of rejecting calls for compensation for businesses worst affected by
serial ferry failures, the Scottish Government’s conversion to a £4.4 “resilience
fund” was announced in mid-April, on the eve of a “crisis summit” in South Uist.
Scottish Labour spokesperson for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mrs Grant said this week
it was “pretty obvious that no thought had been given to the terms of the fund in
advance of an announcement which was only made to head off anger in Uist”.
There was speculation at the time of the announcement by Cabinet Secretary for Transport,
Fiona Hyslop, that the fund would be administered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
However, it emerged they were unaware of it said Rhoda Grant
Unusually, there was no Scottish Government press release to support the announcement
she added.
Almost two months later, no details have emerged. While nobody expects the commitment
to be reneged upon entirely, the terms of the fund will be crucial to determining
its value to businesses and communities.
In her Holyrood questions, Mrs Grant asked “which routes will be covered and what
the (a) eligibility criteria, (b) application process and (c) rates of compensation
payable will be” as well as whether applications can be “backdated and, if not from
what date applications will be eligible”.
She said: “It is clear they are only now looking at how to implement this commitment
which means further delay for communities suffering the impact of their failures
which have continued for years”.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: ““We are currently working at pace with
partners to refine eligibility criteria and so that we can open for applications
as soon as possible.”
Silence over ferry disruption resilience fund
5 June 2025
An empty pier without a ferry is a common sight in South Uist in recent years
