Committee
Public Petitions Committee, 25 Feb 2003
25 Feb 2003 · S1 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
New Petitions
Barra Air Service (PE598)
I associate myself with everything that Jessie MacNeil has said about the process—the lack of consultation before the announcement was made, and the realisation by the community and by everyone round this table that the ferry service, though new and improved, will not be enough. The ferry will not provide proper transport links to Barra in these days of fast access between home and work. People who work offshore or at sea need fast access for personal and medical emergencies.Duncan Hamilton has gone through a lot of background detail, and I do not want to repeat everything that Jessie MacNeil said, but I want to make a point about recent developments. Just last week, the Highlands and Islands strategic transport partnership announced that it was trying to take forward a project in which all air services in the Highlands and Islands would be bundled, and a PSO applied for, to make air access to remote areas easier and to bring down costs. It would be a disgrace if Barra were to be left out of that, because it is one of the most remote parts of the Highlands and Islands. We must ensure that there is an air service in Barra for the next few years, while the HITRANS project is being developed. The project is very interesting and could make a tremendous difference to travel in the region.The people of Barra need to do one other thing themselves: to commit to a new airstrip. In the past, that has been a bone of contention on the island. Either they kept on using the beach, or they would have to build a new airstrip. At last week's HITRANS meeting, it was felt that the bundling project could take place only if there were a new airstrip at Barra, as well as extended airstrips elsewhere in the region. I ask the people of Barra to commit to that. I want to put my whole-hearted support behind the petitioners, and I hope for a good outcome from the committee.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
The next petition is PE598 from Ms Karen MacLean, on the subject of the Barra air service. The petitioners are calling on the Parliament to urge the Executiv...
Jessie MacNeil:
I am.
The Convener:
Lab
Okay. You will have three minutes to speak to the petition, after which we will open up the meeting for members to ask questions.
Jessie MacNeil:
We thank the committee for giving us an opportunity to use the democratic structure of the Scottish Parliament to present our case for the retention of the B...
The Convener:
Lab
Thank you. We have also received colourful support for the petition from children in Barra, which I will pass round to members. A card from Christine MacLean...
Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
First, I pay tribute to the action group both for their efforts on the island of Barra and for the public meetings that were held in Glasgow. It might intere...
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I associate myself with everything that Jessie MacNeil has said about the process—the lack of consultation before the announcement was made, and the realisat...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I put my full support and that of my colleague Mary Scanlon behind this petition.Recently, the Rural Development Committee did a report into integrated rural...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I also support the petition. Barra is within my constituency, and I am glad to see the people putting forward their petition so well.I want to draw out the i...
Jessie MacNeil:
There is some health service provision within the Western Isles, as the First Minister said when he answered the question on Thursday. He stated that there w...
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
Are you saying that, in the long run, it could cost an awful lot more to charter air ambulances to take people off the island when they are very ill?
Jessie MacNeil:
Yes. We would need more air ambulances for routine health appointments rather than for emergency evacuations.
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
Is it also the case that people go to Glasgow when births are complicated? It would be difficult to take mothers with young babies, who might be very ill, on...
Jessie MacNeil:
I will let Karen MacLean answer that question, because she has had experience of maternity cases and the difficulties that are associated when maternity case...
Karen MacLean:
The answer to Rhoda Grant's question is yes. If somebody is in difficulty at the end stage of the pregnancy, it is necessary to get them to Glasgow, where th...
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
Is the service important for keeping people on the island? People who are starting a family or who are elderly and infirm would become nervous about living o...
Karen MacLean:
Yes. That is the case without a doubt. I recently spoke to one of the secondary school teachers, who is not from Barra; we take in most of our teachers. When...
John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD):
LD
Good morning folks and welcome to the great city of Edinburgh. To start, will you tell us when you left home for this visit to Edinburgh and when you are lik...
Karen MacLean:
We left on Saturday and we will not get back until tomorrow afternoon.
John Farquhar Munro:
LD
It is a three-day trip.
Karen MacLean:
Yes. We could have left yesterday, but we would not have arrived in Edinburgh until about 7 o'clock, which was far too late. If the weather conditions had ch...
John Farquhar Munro:
LD
That is considered normal in Barra and other remote areas, but if I suggested to somebody in Edinburgh that it would take three days to go to a meeting, they...
Karen MacLean:
I do not know. That is one of the flaws in the argument.
Councillor Donald Manford:
We would like to understand precisely the answer to your question. The first announcement that was made advised us that the service was to be reviewed becaus...
John Farquhar Munro:
LD
In a remote area such as Barra, which is on the periphery, a direct air link is an essential part of the transport provision. The service should not be consi...
Jessie MacNeil:
When the Executive raised the question of overlap on the introduction of the new ferry between Barra and Eriskay, we expected it to cause conflict not on our...
The Convener:
Lab
I welcome Alasdair Morrison to the committee. I will give him a minute to catch his breath.
Dorothy-Grace Elder:
Ind
I admit that I am still baffled by the fact that in the 21st century anybody should be at risk of losing their air service just because they have got a bette...
Jessie MacNeil:
When the health board was drawing up its brief report, the Scottish air ambulance service stated that it saw the air ambulance service continuing. When we in...
Dorothy-Grace Elder:
Ind
So the air ambulance service would be threatened. I assume from what you are saying that the state of the beach can change within a few hours and needs a tea...