The Scottish Government receives regular updates on all new vessel builds. The contract for the Little Minch vessels was signed on 11 January and all agreements including full Builders Refund Guarentees were put in place recently. The latest update was received from CMAL on 20 February 2023.

The Scottish Government announced up to £115 million funding for the two Little Minch vessels, and associated port works and project costs, in October 2022. The total costs of the vessels are commercially confidential.

CMAL as procuring authority have confirmed that there have been no changes to the design or specifications for the vessels ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.

The vessels currently under construction at Cemre could not have served the ports at Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert without changes to infrastructure. The works at each of the ports are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports.

MV Hebrides is 99 metres in length, 15.8 metres wide and her operational draught, which is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the vessel’s hull, is 3.3 metres.

Further information is available on CalMac’s website by following the link: https://www.calmac.co.uk/fleet/mv-hebrides

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for the Corran Narrows. As any decision to deliver a fixed link would be a matter for the Local Authority, it would not be for the Scottish Government to undertake an assessment of viability.

The Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report written by Sir Lewis Ritchie contained 15 recommendations. Progress has been made on most of the recommendations, including preservation of in-patient bed provision at Portree Hospital, increasing Scottish Ambulance Service capacity, restoring sustainable out of hours care to the communities of Raasay and Glenelg & Arnisdale and promoting digital innovation - the SkyeLab* project.

24/7 urgent care provision at Portree Hospital was partially suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 and then fully suspended in 2022, because of severe staff shortages. Workforce recruitment and retention issues continue to be a challenge for all health services, something which is not just felt in the Highlands and Islands but across the UK. Partial restoration of the out of hours (OOH) service at Portree Hospital began on 9 January 2023 with weekend and public holiday opening 9am-6pm. In 2022, Sir Lewis Ritchie made two visits to Skye (in May and November) to assess progress, a further visit is planned for later in 2023.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the social and economic benefits of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for the Corran Narrows. As any decision to deliver a fixed link would be a matter for Local Authority, it would not be for the Scottish Government to undertake a socioeconomic assessment.

Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision. Transport links across the Corran Narrows are wholly the responsibility of The Highland Council and, as such, any decision to replace ferries or deliver a fixed link (including funding of this) would be a matter for the Local Authority. Therefore, the Scottish Government has not undertaken any specific consultation regarding future transport options for Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government recently completed a national review of future transport infrastructure. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) was an example of effective collaboration with stakeholders and the public. It included a considerable programme of engagement activities at a national and regional level with participation from local residents and business owners at various points throughout the process, including within the Lochaber area.

The Scottish Government has received representations from local residents and MSPs regarding transport options for the Corran Narrows, however, Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision.

Transport links across the Corran Narrows is wholly the responsibility of The Highland Council and as such, any decision to replace ferries or deliver a fixed link and funding of this, would be a matter for the Local Authority.