Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
I have no time—sorry.
A prior long-standing policy of allowing sharing of cabins offered many people a cheaper, more comfortable way to travel. However, that was initially suspended due to Covid-19, and it never returned.
Its removal is continually raised by my constituents, and I have repeatedly put the issue to the Scottish Government. I have never received a satisfactory answer as to why the change became permanent. No consultation took place with the community. The nebulous comment that it relates to safety does not hold up to scrutiny, given both the concerns raised about the behaviour of some passengers in the communal sleeping areas and the acknowledgement, and seemingly tacit approval, by ministers, the operator and Transport Scotland of social media pages for passengers to arrange shared cabins themselves, thereby ensuring that any operator liability for that arrangement is negated.
The removal of shared cabins is a troubling indictment of the lack of consideration for and understanding of the needs of those who rely on the service. Islanders in receipt of concessionary vouchers for two free return journeys have, in essence, had their entitlement halved as a consequence of the change of the shared cabin policy. When I raise the issue, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government simply say that a voucher covers a pod or a chair, but that consistently fails to recognise that those with concessionary vouchers often have the greatest need to lie flat for a 14-hour voyage on the North Sea.
There is so much more that I could say on ferries, but time is not on my side. To conclude: islanders are not asking for special favours. To meet lifeline needs, they must have reliable ferry services.