Seòmar agus comataidhean

CalMac Ferries Limited’s winter timetable for the period 20 October 2013 to 3 April 2014 is available on CalMac’s website at the following link;

http://www.calmac.co.uk/timetables/calmac-winter-timetables.htm

No decisions have been made regarding the composition of the community-led management group. The establishment of a community led management group is an innovative step and Marine Scotland have therefore commenced discussions with community interests to listen to their views and these discussions will continue until an appropriate structure, that can deliver balanced representation, is developed.

The Scottish Government’s objective is that there shall be a safe, reliable, frequent, commuter ferry service between Dunoon town centre and the rail terminal at Gourock.

Short term measures to improve the reliability of the current service over the coming winter are being investigated.

We are working with the Gourock Dunoon Ferry Services Steering Group, which has representation from Argyll and Bute Council, Inverclyde Council and the Dunoon Gourock Ferry Action Group, to find long-term solutions for the town centre route.

Following the publication of the report into the feasibility of vehicles being carried on the route without subsidy, this government will engage with potential operators and with the European Commission, who maintain a keen interest in ensuring we continue to work within the parameters they have set. The Scottish Government will then be in a position to consider the way forward in the longer-term and looks forward to further discussions with the Gourock Dunoon Ferry Services Steering Group.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is committed to monitoring the use of defibrillators, including locations in remote and rural areas through their continuing work of defibrillator mapping as part of their community resilience scheme. The SAS report on the scheme’s progress to the Scottish Government, as part of their annual review.

The SAS is working with NHS boards and partners including Caledonian MacBrayne and the British Heart Foundation to develop action plans for remote and rural communities to strengthen their resilience, recognising the different needs of communities they work with.

Further information on the Scottish Ambulance Service’s community resilience work can be found on their website:

http://www.scottishambulance.com/YourCommunity/communityresilience.aspx.

Transport Scotland will continue to monitor the A9 between Perth and Inverness and will reassess the suitability of a pilot speed limit increase for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on single carriageways.

Consideration was given by the A9 Safety Group to a pilot increase of the speed limit for HGVs. Accident records, however, show that HGVs are involved in a higher proportion of accidents on single carriageway sections of the A9 than they are on other similar routes and the speed data shows that the vast majority of HGVs are travelling above the speed limit.

I welcome easyJet’s recent announcement of the basing of an aircraft at Inverness which will facilitate early and late connections between Inverness and Gatwick from March 2014. This follows positive engagement between the Airline and Highlands and Islands Airports Limited and is a way forward which should be welcomed throughout the Highlands and Islands.

We have not considered the potential use of RAF Northolt which is not currently available for use by scheduled air services.

At the root of the problems being experienced by regional air services is the punitive Air Passenger Duty levels being imposed by the Treasury which is regularly cited by airlines and airports as an obstacle when it comes to securing new routes and maintaining existing routes. Devolving Air Passenger Duty would enable the development of a regime more suited to Scotland’s needs.

The issue of access to London airports by flights from Scotland’s airports was raised by the First Minister at the Joint Ministerial Committee on 19 September 2012 which was attended by the Secretary of State for Transport. The issue was also raised with the Department for Transport on 12 October 2012 at a stakeholder event for the UK Government’s Draft Aviation Policy Framework Consultation.

The Scottish Government has had no discussions or meetings with the Department for Transport in the last year about the imposition of public service obligations on routes between Scotland and London.

None. Although any such discussions would be a matter for the airport operator/owner, in this case Highland Council, at a recent meeting with the FlySkye campaign group I confirmed that Highlands and Islands Airports Limited would be available to offer advice on specific regulatory / operational issues.

The group of Scottish Government agencies responsible for promoting air connectivity (known as “Team Scotland”) will take every opportunity in their ongoing engagement with airlines to promote the start-up of new routes and the expansion of existing services from Scotland. Should Skye Airport become operational then the same type of support would be available to it as is available to other Scottish airports.

The imposition of a public service obligation on an air route does not guarantee the provision or protection of slots at airports. I welcome easyJet’s recent announcement of the basing of an aircraft at Inverness which will facilitate early and late connections between Inverness and Gatwick from March 2014. This is a way forward which should be welcomed throughout the Highlands and Islands.