Ferry tendering too quick
SHETLAND and Orkney MSPs Tavish Scott and Liam McArthur have warned that the tendering process for the northern isles ferry lifeline services does not allow enough time for community involvement.
On Monday Transport Scotland announced the government would enter into a ‘competitive dialogue” with six shortlisted companies, including current and former operators NorthLink and P&O.
Both Liberal Democrat MSPs said on Tuesday there were many questions their constituents wanted to be answered such as:
• When are these six companies going to have any opportunity to discuss their proposals with local people, businesses and organisations that depend on lifeline ferry services?
• If the Scottish government kicks out the existing operator NorthLink, how will a new operator possibly have time to begin in June 2012?
• Will the £7 million extra income the Scottish government received last year be invested in the northern isles service or go to pay for RET to the western isles?
• When will Shetlanders know if a refit schedule will help the islands rather than the lamentable cuts the Scottish government are implementing for 2012?
The MSPs said: “The SNP in opposition said tendering of ferry services was wrong. Now they’ve been the government for five years their record is of dither, delay and bad decision making. Indeed, we have had three winters of attempted SNP cuts to our shipping service.
“These lifeline shipping services are critical to the economies of Orkney and Shetland. If timescales prove too short to allow sensible decisions to be made, the fault will lie entirely with SNP ministers.”
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