Seòmar agus comataidhean

Absolutely. The committee’s inquiry is really important and I am keen that we use it and the recommendations that you will provide us with to inform the draft ICP, CHFS3 and where we get to on project Neptune. I very much welcome it.

I am happy to provide the committee with that.

Yes, there is. I think that we have a couple of examples of where that has happened in recent times.

Both operators—today we are talking a lot about CalMac, but we must not forget Serco NorthLink—have mechanisms in place for prioritising medical appointments, which is really important. The point that Mr Ruskell makes about last-minute journeys is not lost on me. It is consistently raised with me when I go out and speak to island communities. It is worth pointing out that CalMac has—in very recent times, actually—agreed to some changes to the criteria for short-notice medical appointments, which I know has been welcomed by island communities.

Transport Scotland might want to say more on this, but it has been working very closely in the past couple of weeks with the Mull & Iona Ferry Committee to look at a potential pilot on vehicle deck space for islanders who are travelling at short notice. It is fair to say that that work is at a pretty early stage but, from what I am told, it has been broadly welcomed by the Mull & Iona Ferry Committee. Officials might want to say more on that.

I was not asked for comment on the story, so I am glad that I have now got that on the record.

Unbundling is not an option that is favoured by the Scottish Government. I think that that decision was reached in 2014, although Chris Wilcock will correct me if I am wrong. At that time, a decision was made that unbundling would not be the approach that we would take.

Ultimately, if I thought that unbundling would be a silver bullet, it would be on the table. I am not sure that it is. In my job, I hear different things from communities on a daily basis, and it is not clear to me that unbundling would work, given the variety of routes and vessels that we have in CalMac.

It is important that we concentrate on delivering a better service across the network. That is certainly the decision that was taken historically in relation to unbundling. It could also be a distraction from the focus on improving resilience and reliability. We will not be reopening that question as part of project Neptune. I know and understand that people have different views on it, but it is not something that the Scottish Government will be considering at the current time.

Good morning, convener, and thank you for the opportunity to speak with committee members this morning. I welcome the committee’s inquiry very much and, to that end, I thank it for this morning’s opportunity.

I spend a great deal of my time as transport minister engaging with our island communities. Most recently, I was in Islay during recess speaking to local stakeholders about project Neptune. I am sure that we will hear more about that during the course of today’s committee meeting. That consultation is well under way and is being led by Angus Campbell.

To my mind, the committee’s inquiry is extremely timely. I am keen to hear from members today about their views on areas for improvement in relation to how we deliver ferry services in Scotland. I reflect that a substantial body of evidence already exists in relation to the topic. We have the REC Committee report from last session, the Audit Scotland report from March of last year, the pending Public Audit Committee report, and project Neptune, on which I provided an update to Parliament back in September. I very much welcome the committee’s inquiry, but I also know that we need to ensure that these recommendations are implemented at pace and that we have concrete solutions for improvements that are backed, of course, by our island communities.

The challenges that have been faced in relation to the CalMac fleet, particularly in recent times, will be well known to committee members. Island communities deserve better than the service that they have been experiencing in recent times. I am alive to that.

It is worth reflecting—as I think that the committee heard in some evidence from CMAL in the previous session—that weather is impacting on sailings in a way that it has never done in previous years. For example, in January and February of last year, just over 92 per cent of all cancellations were due to either weather or Covid-19. Indeed, last January and February weather accounted for 10 per cent of all cancellations

Those impacts are one of the reasons why I announced additional Scottish Government investment to give weather monitoring equipment to third-party ports. As the committee heard from CMAL, that should result in more reliable forecasting and less disruption.

I also announced last year that Transport Scotland is developing performance indicators that will be distinct from contractual targets, to better reflect the real experience of passengers. However, none of that detracts from the fact that we need to bring about greater resilience in the CalMac fleet, which is exactly why, in the past 12 months, I have accelerated investment into the fleet. In the past six months, CMAL made offers to purchase two second-hand major vessels—the MV Arrow and the MV Straitsman. Unfortunately, those offers were unsuccessful. Securing additional second-hand tonnage is difficult in a competitive market. It remains challenging, but commercial discussions remain on-going.

It is worth saying that, by the end of this session of Parliament in 2026, on top of the MV Loch Frisa, we expect to have delivered six new major vessels, and we expect the small vessel replacement programme to be well under way.

Secondly, as I mentioned, community engagement on project Neptune, led by Angus Campbell, is already under way. Finally, I was pleased to publish an advance draft of our long-term plan for vessels and ports at the end of last year, as a first, and significant, element of the islands connectivity plan.

I put on record my thanks to the committee for the significant effort that it has made in engaging constructively with our island communities. It has been really helpful to hear some of the feedback. I know that the committee has been to Arran, Orkney and islands in the Outer Hebrides—I, too have visited those areas recently.

Clearly, we now have to reform how ferry services are delivered in Scotland, but with the guiding principle that our island communities have to be part of what comes next. I look forward to the committee’s report and to responding to the outcomes of the inquiry. My officials and I will be happy to take questions.

I ask Laurence to come in if he would like to do so.

Yes, I do. I think that we need more islander representation on those boards, although boards are not the only way in which I expect CMAL and CalMac to listen to island communities.

You heard from Morag McNeill, who is the first woman to hold the role of chair at CMAL. At the end of last year, I was able to appoint Murdo MacLennan, as a non-executive member, to the CMAL board. He is already making a big impact on that board in relation to the work that he is undertaking with island communities. However, I agree that it is really important that we have islanders on those boards, so that they can reflect the lived experience of people who live on our islands and depend on those lifeline services.

There is a challenge there and, following it through, I suppose, if Transport Scotland had any pushback for me, it would be that we need to ensure that people who are on the board have the necessary skills and experience. Working with CMAL and CalMac, the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland need to ensure that there are opportunities for people to get those extra skills and experience if they need them. We need to focus on upskilling people, if there is a need for that, as well as recognise that islanders will bring a strength to those boards in relation to the delivery of services for island communities.

I will build on Chris Wilcock’s point. I have alluded to project Neptune in a couple of my responses already. Angus Campbell, who is leading on the work, is hugely important in that respect. Although he is a former islander, I think that he has a house in Stornoway. Angus Campbell is leading on that work and, as an islander, the information that he is able to glean from some of the consultation events is different to that that mainlanders might get, if that makes sense. Because he has a relationship with island communities, he is able to garner much better information—much more qualitative feedback—to inform an improvement to the service, which is really important.

It is not just about islanders on boards, although that is important and I absolutely agree with Ms Lennon’s point. It is also about ensuring that we build on islander representation throughout the process, whether that is CHFS, project Neptune or the ICP.

Yes, I do. Something that I picked up with Transport Scotland a few months ago brings me back to Mr Kerr’s question about the choreographing of all those things—CHFS3, project Neptune and the ICP—because my concern as minister was that we could not go out and consult on three different things. I do not think that that is wise. We are trying to learn lessons through project Neptune and gather some information through Angus Campbell’s hugely important work in that regard.

However, I recognise what Ms Lennon has said about consultation fatigue. In my view, that is what happens when people do not see things changing, and they get fed up. The next important step is to show people what change will look like in future and to follow that up. Angus Campbell’s work, which concludes at the end of next month, will be vital in setting out what the next steps will be and where the community wants us to go and ensuring that that is where we get to and that we avoid the issues that Ms Lennon has outlined.