OUTER HEBRIDES COMMERCE GROUP
15 April 2013
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Keith Brown
Transport Minister
Transport Scotland
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Dear Mr Brown
Last July at a meeting in Stornoway you met with representatives from the Outer Hebrides Commerce Group and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. At that meeting we all agreed to co-operate and contribute to a study looking at the impact the withdrawal of “RET” is having on our communities. The Report undertaken by MVA Consultancy was finalised some months ago, but as yet, we have no date or confirmation for publication.
The membership of the OHCG is deeply concerned with this unnecessary delay. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the OHCG all assisted your Department and provided support and data so that a credible and properly informed Report could be published.
On behalf of the membership of the OHCG and ordinary families of the Outer Hebrides we urge you to publish, without delay, the Report’s findings. The report is a public document – paid for by British taxpayers – and as such should be in the public domain.
It is worth noting that since we last met our communities, businesses and families have had to contend with another massive 10% hike in ferry fares: this latest increase in your ferry-tax is over and above the 50% increase your Government imposed a year ago.
We trust you understand our growing frustration and would greatly appreciate your immediate intervention.
Yours sincerely
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David Wood
Vice-Chairperson
Outer Hebrides Commerce Group
I thought ret stood for road equivalent tariff but the price of fuel is down but ferry prices have gone up twice?
Are the SNP trying to lose the YES vote? Outrageous and just like our MP, and SNP councillors. Please get a grip you lot. Scotland needs better
Inflation-busting 60% increase for commercial vehicles and 8-10% for passengers/cars. Not the way to influence people and win friends.
Never mind, our Scottish Government has managed to set up a new ferry in Kintyre to service “renewables” (windmills) with which they are obsessed. twos up to the Uisteachs?
Correct Nilmills, Cal Mac and their Barra crew have severely let down the South.
@Raging Rod – And how exactly are Cal Mac ‘and their Barra crew’ to blame for that …? Please let us know.
This is an issue in which our MSP should be taking a lead on!
He seems to be more concerned with a good ‘photo op’ in the gazette as oppossed to listening to his constituents…. Third rate!! There are no statesmen any more.
It’s amazing how short people’s memories are when a poorly veiled political agenda is in play. This Labour Party front use very emotive language to describe the TAX on island families while ignoring the fact that the SNP brought the RET trial in to begin with against labour opposition. There is a lot of talk about what Hollyrood is imposing and no talk at all about what Westminster is imposing thanks to a desperate financial crisis brought on by casino management of our economy over the last decade. Lastly there is no comment on the savings that we made when RET was introduced. Perhaps that’s because we didn’t make any. Perhaps the OHCG could illustrate the reduced shipping rates that we all benefited from when the Island based hauliers reduced their charges at the introduction of RET. The Scottish government may have decided that the more efficient way to spend the reduced grant that Westminster gives is not to line the pockets of the hauliers by allowing them to continue charging full freight on a reduced fare but to put the money into services where it has an immediate effect on the needy and disadvantaged.
What kind of Scottish Government / Democracy do we have? when they refuse to answer a Freedom of Information Act request from Storas Uist concerning the decision NOT to run a ferry from South Uist to Mallaig. We are turning in to a Stalinist State I’m afraid
“not on the bandwagon” clearly is well off track, the reason I suspect the report is being held back by yours truely is because it supports the Hauliers claims that costs benifits were absorbed in additional fuel and operating cost which were not passed on to customers.
I agree with Nilmills, the current scottish government appear to be very controlling- this won’t go un-noticed by the electorate next year i’m sure….
The MP and MSP are busy issuing press releases about security checks on cruise liner passengers whilst ignoring the changes in RET. Priorities, priorities.
Last I heard, the SNP locally still supported a ferry for Lochboisdale-Mallaig …. obviously until the Minister told them to shut up and toe the line.
Perhaps someone should ask Manford for his view?
Madneil, Were these additional fuel and operating costs experienced immediately that the RET was introduced as no savings were passed on? I take it that as you are supportive of the fact that the hauliers were so kind to us that you acknowledge that it was the Scottish government that allowed them to do so and it is now the Westminster government that is reducing the block grant and causing tough decisions to be made. What service would you have the Scottish government cut instead. I find it hard to give any credibility to the cries of the hauliers about how they are being forced to impose fright rate hikes on the island public while we see ridiculous displays of wealth from them. One notable example being the purchase of a large house at the top of stewart drive so that it could be demolished and a new one built in its place. Perhaps a smaller margin would show some solidarity with their customers.
Not on the bandwagon, the haulier your are talking about was the only one who was opposed to the protest last year. Also if we had proper RET how much would it cost a lorry to travel by road from Stornoway to Ullapool not as much as Calmac were charging.
Another cut I would have looked at in the Scottish parliament would have been to ban Fat Alex from spending £500 000 on a golfing trip to the USA.
@ not on the bandwagon…
thats exactly the kind of pre prepared rehtoric from the SNP cyber rats i used to hear when i was in the SNP…….
Let me guess, it’s the big man him self that wrote that speech….or Alasdair Arse himself….
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DISCUSS FIGURES, WHY NOT COME DOWN TO WOODY’S AND TALK TO MR WOOD URSELF, all the figures are to hand……
u should stop the canvassing too….its getting annoying , seeing ur ugly mug walking up and down harrasing old people ….
Hi Iain – good vibrant debate should always be encouraged. I’ve no doubt that we would all benefit from actually seeing the published contents of the Report into the consequences of removing “RET” for Commercial Vehicles from the Islands. The analysis was conducted by independent consultants that will genuinely inform discussion on this forum and elsewhere – it’s all in Mr Keith Brown’s hands.
why dont the SNP group of ask keith brown to show the report?
wasnt this the report that the SNP had based their decison on scrapping RET?
Then why are they lying about it now?
SNP are lier’s and will always will be……….
Might help if we could find someone to fix said ferries and make sure that they set sail more than twice a week. The Muirneag should be turned into a quayside bar and have done with it.
Ba, Ba, Ba Ba, Ba Baran – the Muirneag as a quayside bar….. Whilst a good idea, can you imagine the potential problems; the beer pumps won’t work, the optics will give half measures and on a bad night the swell would be so bad the crew wouldn’t make it on-board.