John Finnie MSP, Scottish Greens’ spokesperson for Transport and Islands, has said he is “bitterly disappointed” following an announcement from the Scottish Government that it will put the Northern Isles Ferry Services out to tender.

The Scottish Green Party supports the RMT in advocating that the service should be publicly run.

Mr Finnie said:

“I am bitterly disappointed by the Minister’s decision to put the Northern Isles Ferry Services out to tender. The Scottish Government has missed a real opportunity to deliver a publicly owned service, run in the interest of communities in Orkney and Shetland. Instead the service will continue to be run for the benefit of private shareholders.

“This decision will come as good news to the likes of Serco, who will no doubt be queuing up to reap the subsidy and profits that come with running these lifeline services, in the full knowledge that if anything goes wrong it will be the public finances that bear the brunt.

“If this is the direction of travel from the Scottish Government then it is extremely concerning and brings into question how serious it is about bringing forward public bids for other major transport services such as ScotRail.

“The Scottish Green Party has long championed the public ownership of our vital transport services; it seems this government is quite content to let the private sector cherry pick the profitable bits, hardly the actions of a progressive government.”

John Finnie MSP, Scottish Greens Transport and Islands Spokesperson, has today called on the Scottish Government to bring NorthLink Ferries into public ownership at the earliest opportunity.

In a parliamentary motion, the Highlands and Islands representative said that the vital services should be run in the interest of public service, rather than private profit.

Finnie’s intervention comes ahead of a Scottish Government statement on northern isles ferries this Thursday (24th).

John Finnie said:

“The good folk of Orkney and Shetland deserve more frequent, affordable and reliable ferries, run in the interest of public service, rather than solely for private profit. It was good to see the Scottish Government recently purchase the three northern isles ferries, this should be the first step in bringing the whole setup back into public ownership.

“The RMT has been campaigning on this issue for some time and I fully support their calls to nationalise the service. Ensuring properly staffed vessels which are subject to collective bargaining can only benefit northern isles communities.”

This article first appeared in The Shetland Times.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), the Scottish Government owned company charged with running our vital island airports has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently.

Its plan to centralise air traffic control operations, for instance, is ill thought out and will likely mean the loss of skilled jobs in our island communities.

I accept that HIAL wants to modernise its operation, but any proposals to do this must not compromise safety and should not remove skilled jobs from island communities. I’ve met with the air traffic controllers trade union, Prospect, who have told me that the proposals, in their current form, are unworkable.

All this fuels the serious concerns about HIAL’s poor consultation with its workforce, local communities, and elected representatives and as such people are understandably anxious.

It is important when major changes like this are proposed, that engagement is prioritised. In this instance, it looks as though HIAL had made up its mind, with any consultation an afterthought.

Speaking of poor communication, HIAL’s proposal to charge for car parking at Sumburgh airport was debated in the Scottish Parliament last week.

I regret being unable to attend the debate, as I was Chairing the Parliament’s Police Committee at the same time, however I was happy to sign the debate motion and share the concerns of my Parliamentary colleagues.

It may seem peculiar to some that a Green MSP wouldn’t support a move which on the face of it would encourage people to ditch the car. But, as with other island airports affected by car-parking charges, public transport is generally poor meaning that in many cases there is no other option but to drive to the airport.

HIAL and the local authorities need to get their heads together and develop a proper public transport strategy that gives folk other options when travelling to and from airports. In the meantime, this ill-considered proposal should be taken off the table.

As a MSP for the Highlands and Islands I have the privilege of representing a number of remote, island and rural communities who rely on HIAL to facilitate their lifeline air travel throughout and beyond the area.

On its website HIAL state’s that its, “…airports are vital to the social and economic welfare of the areas they serve.” This is undoubtedly true, but I’d seriously question whether the current leadership at the organisation is adequately delivering for these areas.

HIAL must ensure that the communities it serves are at the heart of its decision making. That means proper consultation, before decisions are made. If HIAL can’t even get that right, then The Scottish Ministers need to look seriously at putting in place a new leadership team who can.

John Finnie MSP, Scottish Greens Transport and Islands Spokesperson, this week questioned the Scottish Government on Highlands and Islands Airports Limited’s (HIAL) proposals to centralise air traffic management.

HIAL, which is owned by Scottish Ministers, has proposed a number of controversial changes in its Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy, which would have significant impacts, particularly for island airports.

Mr Finnie questioned the Minister for Transport and Islands on the topic at the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, highlighting concerns raised by trade union Prospect and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

Following the committee meeting John Finnie said:

“There are a number of serious concerns about the impact HIAL’s proposals could have on island communities. One major impact is the likelihood of losing highly skilled jobs throughout our islands, an issue rightly vexing Prospect, the air traffic controllers’ trade union.

“I completely understand HIAL’s need to upgrade its infrastructure, however any centralised system will require a reliable and secure communication system between the mainland and the islands.  No such system exists at the moment.

“HIAL’s community engagement has been abysmal. Not only in relation to this proposal, but also recently in relation to proposed parking charges at island airports. I was therefore pleased that the Minister committed to ensuring that proper public consultation will take place. HIAL cannot simply march ahead with such wide ranging proposals without considering the impact it will have on the communities it is supposed to support.”

This article first appeared in the Strathspey & Badenoch Herald and other Scottish Provincial Press publications.

Last week while down in the central belt as part of my normal working week, I took the opportunity to nip along to Coatbridge and visit the Freightliner Rail Freight Terminal.

A single freight train can carry enough material to build 30 houses, and while it is good to see the likes of Tesco and Diageo utilising rail to carry goods to and from the north, many businesses are missing out on opportunities to switch from road to rail simply because the single track Highland Main Line simply does not have the capacity cope with any significant increase in freight traffic.

Those who regularly travel to the central belt by train will understand the potential for major disruption to journeys as a result of extremely limited capacity. While I am pleased that the Scottish Government has recently announced a modest £10 million investment to improve the Highland Main Line, I fear it will amount to little more than tinkering, rather than the serious improvements that are needed.

Time and time again we see major investment in trunk roads, with billions splashed on projects which continue to prioritise the motor car over all other forms of transport. The Government trumpets its city deal projects, which are all too often just glamorously titled road building schemes.

I cannot imagine a project that would be more transformative for the Highlands than the dualling of the Highland Main Line.

Every tonne transferred by rail rather than road cuts CO2 emissions by 76%. Dualling the Highland Main Line would be of huge benefit to the climate, and by removing a great number of HGVs, could take between 250 and 300 lorries a day off the A9, from the trunk road network it would make our roads safer and reduce the ever increasing repair bills. It ticks all the boxes.

Increasing capacity on the Highland Main Line would also offer exciting opportunities to greatly improve journey times between the central belt and the Highlands. I am confident this would be a move that would be widely welcomed, particularly by businesses who could engage with their counterparts in the central belt much more conveniently.

The tourism sector is of course vital to the economy of the Highlands and Islands, and ensuring that we have rail links fit for the 21st century would greatly improve the appeal, encouraging many more visitors to the north.

Further improvements to the Far North and West Highland lines would enhance this further of course. But as the main rail route to and from the Highlands, we simply can’t afford to continue waiting, we need to dual the Highland Main Line now!