SNP ministers accused of ‘ignorance’ after ferries left out of islands motion
Scottish Government ministers have been accused of “ignorance” for holding a debate on islands and failing to mention ferries in their motion.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross criticised SNP ministers as he told Holyrood the motion the Government had submitted for debate “doesn’t mention ferries once”.
The Tory MSP was forced to apologise by Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone after he insisted that islanders did not want the Government’s new National Islands Plan, adding “they would want a bloody ferry, that’s all they’re after”.
He pressed minister Mairi Gougeon as Holyrood debated the Government motion on “empowering Scotland’s island communities”.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary told him: “We’re talking about the National Islands Plan and this is the opportunity for Parliament to feed into that.”
Ms Gougeon said ministers had “concluded a new National Islands Plan is needed”, promising it would be “more targeted” and would have “fewer objectives and an even stronger focus on delivering tangible and relatable commitments”.
She said: “In recognition of the demographic challenges facing many islands, population attraction and retention will be the key and overarching objective for the new plan.”
Mr Ross said: “Only in SNP Scotland can we have a debate led by SNP ministers around an SNP drafted motion on empowering Scotland’s island communities that doesn’t mention ferries once.
“I counted how many words were in the motion, there are 109 words in the SNP motion about empowering our island communities.
“In 109 words they congratulate themselves, they say how great the SNP are for the islanders, but they don’t mention ferries.”
The debate comes days after it emerged that the second of two new CalMac ferries being built to serve the islands off Scotland’s west coast has been further delayed.
The Glen Rosa is the second of two heavily over budget vessels being built for the ferry operator by the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow.
It had been due to be handed over this September, but this may not happen until June next year.
The failure to mention ferries in the Government’s motion “shows the ignorance that these SNP ministers have for the real hard life of islanders”, Mr Ross said.
He added: “Does she really believe islanders want another island plan? No they don’t.
“If they were given the choice they would want a bloody ferry, that’s all they’re after.”
After being rebuked by the Presiding Officer, the Tory insisted his language was mild compared with comments from islands on the ferries scandal.
Mr Ross added that “the fact that these ministers can being forward a debate celebrating what they are apparently doing, and ignoring the impact of the lack of ferries in these communities, is shameful”.
Labour rural affairs spokeswoman Rhoda Grant said the Government had “failed our islands by having no ferry replacement plan”.
She said: “The building of the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa has been a disaster, the cost to the public purse of building these ferries should have replaced the whole fleet if it had been efficiently managed.”
She added that the cost to island communities of the delay in getting the new vessels was “incalculable… given the ones we have are old and break down regularly”.