Orkney MSP responds to Stewart ferry interview

Responding to transport minister Kevin Stewart’s interview on Good Morning Scotland in which he described the ferry situation in Scotland as “not brilliant”, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur said:

“SNP ministers seem to be the last people in the country recognising how threadbare Scotland’s ferry network actually is.

“As any islander would be able to tell them, the situation isn’t just ‘not brilliant, it’s having a profoundly damaging impact on island communities both in the north and the west

“There are serious questions for the Government here, which is why I have called for the Transport Minister to come to parliament on Tuesday to answer questions on this matter.

“As well as addressing the loss of freight and passenger capacity on the Pentland Firth, the Minister will also need to respond to concerns within the local community that the urgency with which the vessel was required to enter service had a bearing on events at the weekend.”