OIC Leader has key questions for ferries taskforce

Orkney Islands Council will have a number of questions to ask of Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop at a meeting of the 'ferries taskforce' in Kirkwall this week.

The taskforce will meet on Thursday, a full six months after the first and only meeting.

The taskforce was set up in December 2022  by then Deputy First Minister John Swinney immediately following the Scottish Government's budget statement and was charged with developing funding proposals for a new ferry fleet for Orkney.

Since then the taskforce has met just once, in February, following a number of high profile changes at the head of the Scottish Government.

According to the timeline laid out by the Scottish Government, the work was due to be completed in September, ready for the Scottish Government to begin their annual budget setting process.

Council Leader James Stockan will be attending the meeting alongside Deputy Leader Heather Woodbridge. He said "We said back in February after the first meeting that the taskforce had lit a fire under the issue of the funding of replacement ferries for Orkney. 

"My concern, in the run up to this meeting, is that the fire may be at best smouldering, given the apparent lack of urgency, attention and respect paid to this process by the Scottish Government.

"The key questions we'll be asking are: what is the budget figure that the Scottish Government are currently working towards? What are the solutions that they and their officers have been developing? - and most importantly what work have they done since the February meeting to give us any kind of hope for that promised financial resolution by September?"