Lib Dem outrage at ferry scheme announcement

12.00.00am GMT Tue 26th Feb 2008

Liberal Democrats from Shetland, Orkney and Argyll have joined together to condemn the Scottish Government's treatment of the Scottish islands.

The Scottish Government is expected to announce today that it will run a three year 'pilot' providing cheaper ferry fares, based on 'Road Equivalent Tariff' for three specific routes to the Western Isles, rather than running pilots on selected services to or within all the Scottish island groups.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MSP for Shetland Tavish Scott said:

"This is blatant discrimination. Reducing ferry fares to help island economies is the right approach, but this pilot is expected to last for three years and only targets one Scottish island group.

"The SNP Government is essentially operating a permanent scheme in one part of Scotland, but not in the equally deserving other island groups."

Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney Liam McArthur commented:

"The SNP Government's plans to reduce the transport costs on these three routes into the Western Isles, but to do nothing for Orkney or Shetland, will put Northern Isles businesses at a real competitive disadvantage over the next three years.

"We will find it harder to attract the tourists seeking an island experience, as the Western Isles trumpet their cheaper fares.

"These are not pilot schemes. The fact that they run right up until the next election shows that they are electoral bribes."

Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson and former MSP for Argyll and Bute George Lyon added:

"It is an absolute outrage that the Argyll islands have been excluded from this scheme.

"Local SNP MSP Jim Mather made all sorts of promises to the island communities about cutting fares before the election. Despite the fact that he is a senior government minister working in the same department as his colleague Stewart Stevenson the Transport Minister, he has utterly failed to persuade him to include even one of the islands he represents in this pilot project."