Calmac funding for Gourock-Dunoon route: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the following information:

1) The amount of funding currently received by CalMac from the Scottish Government to provide ferry services to and from Dunoon.

2) Whether that amount will now be reduced due to a reduction in services being provided.

3) Whether that amount has been reduced during the last 12 months due to cancellations.

Response

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested.

The answer to your questions are included below.

The amount of funding currently received by CalMac from the Scottish Government to provide ferry services to and from Dunoon.

Under the CHFS (Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service) contract, the Scottish Government supplies CalMac with an overall grant payment each month for the provision and delivery of ferry services. However, this is not broken down by route.

Whether that amount will now be reduced due to a reduction in services being provided.

Yes.

Whether that amount has been reduced during the last 12 months due to cancellations.

Yes; the amount of grant funding paid to CalMac between 03 June 2024 – 30 September 2024 reduced by £34,440, in light of cancelled sailings on the Gourock-Dunoon route. The Scottish Government does not currently hold data pertaining to reductions in grant funding which have been applied since 30 September 2024.

This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.