Ferries scandal Scotland: Businesses would only receive £1,300 in compensation if taken from CalMac fines this year, new figures show

Scottish Conservatives said the sum is “a fraction” of what island businesses have lost as a result of ferry cancellations and delays.

Business across Scotland’s islands impacted by ferry disruption would only receive just over £1,000 in compensation if it were to be paid out using fines handed to CalMac, new research has found.

Ministers have previously rejected a call for millions of pounds worth of CalMac performance penalties, which are issued for late and cancelled services, to be used to compensate islanders for cuts to services have forced many to accept a slash in their income.

While Humza Yousaf said he was willing to further consider compensation - he was unable, after being pushed, to make any commitment.

If ministers were to follow through with such a scheme, the Scottish Conservative party, however, said businesses would only receive about £1,300 per head this year in compensation.

In a written answer to Donald Cameron MSP, the Scottish Government confirmed that between the first six months of CalMac’s contract year, October 2022-March 2023, £1,454,997 has been deducted from the ferry company’s contract due to late and or cancelled ferries.

This would equate to £2,909,994 across the full year, the Scottish Tories said.

The party then divided that figure by the number of businesses in the Western Isles, and island businesses in Argyll & Bute, the Isle of Arran and Skye, which have been the worst hit by ferry delays and cancellations. This, they said, would amount to around 2,288 businesses.

The total for each business would therefor come to £1,271.85 in compensation.

Donald Cameron, Scottish Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands said: “Businesses across Scotland’s islands have taken a tremendous hit with the disruption in ferry services. The SNP’s failure to deliver new vessels and to fund maintenance and upkeep has been a betrayal of all islanders and a huge blow to every aspect of their lives.

“Yet businesses, both in tourism and essential services, have received no support from the SNP-Green government, and the First Minister has refused to confirm that they would receive any compensation, despite the penalties imposed on CalMac for late and cancelled sailings.

“Those funds – though they are a fraction of what island businesses have lost as a result of the SNP’s disastrous stewardship of a lifeline service – should immediately be passed on to those who have suffered.”

Some 500 residents, 200 cars, 40 vans and 20 lorries gathered at Lochboisdale - the port which links South Uist to the mainland – last weekend in a protest over CalMac's decision to cancel almost every ferry service in June to the island due to continuing problems with its ageing fleet.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact of the disruption that island communities are facing, which is why we are committed to investing in our ferry services and ensuring we have six new vessels in the network by the end of the parliamentary session.

“The issues around compensation have understandably been raised . We have not brought forward compensation as the money that is deducted from CalMac in terms of penalties and fines is reinvested back into the resilience of the network and we want that investment to continue to support resilience and help reduce future disruption.”