Subsidy given to support new CalMac terminal at Ullapool: FOI release

1) How much government subsidy was given to support the new CalMac terminal at Ullapool?

2) Have there been any discussions, meetings or contact (formal or informal) between Stagecoach and either members of the government or administration/civil servants in regard to the bus service to Gills Bay and/or the bus service to Scrabster harbour?

3) Why should people who live in the Wick to John o’Groats area of Caithness and who are reliant on public transport be forced to travel 20-plus miles to catch a more expensive ferry which takes longer to get to Orkney, when only a few miles down the road from here we have a far more efficient, environmentally sustainable, cheaper and more convenient one?

The answers to your questions are:

1. Scottish Ministers supported harbour infrastructure works at Ullapool to accommodate the new Ullapool – Stornoway vessel, MV Loch Seaforth, contributing £18.1m towards the Ullapool project.           
2. In response to your e-mail dated 12 July 2018 I made contact by e-mail to Stagecoach on 29 June 2018 requesting information on Service at Keiss - Wick to John O'Groats. Stagecoach replied on 5 July confirming they were in the process of writing to you. The details of the correspondence are attached in Annex A.

We have no records of any other contact between either members of the government or administration/civil servants on this subject, however if lobbying were made to the government on this subject, it would be recorded at: https://www.lobbying.scot/  the contact e-mail is - lobbying@parliament.scot.

3. Our aim is to provide information whenever possible. However, in this instance, the information you have requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Local authorities however have a duty to identify whether there is a social need for particular services and to subsidise them at their discretion. Therefore Highland Council may be of assistance.