Correspondence regarding ferry services to Arran & Cumbrae: EIR release

Information requested

Copies of correspondence between Katy Clark MSP and Scottish Government Ministers regarding ferry services to Arran & Cumbrae. I seek seeking correspondence from 6 May 2021 onwards.

Please contact me if you need me to clarify my request. If this request is determined to exceed the costs limit I would be grateful for any guidance on how it could be narrowed.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

I enclose a copy of the information you requested in PDF format titled Annex A. The correspondence involved is arranged in chronological order of the original request from Katy Clark MSP. Please note that where a response has not been recorded by Scottish Government ministers, that the request in question has been withdrawn.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception 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 exception.

Please also find below a full list of Parliamentary Questions which fall within the scope of your request:

Parliamentary questions which specifically refer to Arran/Cumbrae ferry services and dates answered:

• Topical Supplementary: 26 May 2021 – Keeping Arran islanders involved in decisions
• Portfolio Question: 9 June 2021 – Cost of disruption to Arran community
• Written Question: 16 August 2021 – Impact of Troon fire on Arran ferry
• Portfolio Question: 31 January 2022 – Rural economy and impact of ferry cancellations on Arran
• Written Question: 19 January 2022 – Glen Sannox sea trials for Arran ferry
• Written Question: 19 January 2022 – Transfer of Arran service from Ardrossan to Troon
• Written Question: 19 January 2022 – Transport Scotland assessment of transport continuity when Ardrossan to Arran service transfers to Troon
• Written Question: 19 January 2022 – Ensuring harbour upgrades don’t delay introduction of two Ferguson ferries on the Arran-Ardrossan route
• Written Question: 25 February 2022 – Arran ferry timetable
• Written Question: 25 February 2022 – Arran ferry timetable
• Ministerial Statement Question: 23 March 2022 – Smaller vessels for islanders, referencing Arran
• Topical Supplementary: 26 April 2022 – Ferguson Marine failings and the impact on Arran islanders
• Written Question: 27 April 2022 – Impact of the REF tariff for ticketing on services for/to Arran and Cumbrae
• Topical Supplementary: 6 September 2022 – Age of Ardrossan-Arran vessels
• General Question: 22 September 2022 – Ardrossan Harbour delays and impact on Ardrossan-Arran ferry service
• Written Question: 26 September 2022 – Discussions with Cumbrae groups re multi-journey ticketing schemes
• Written Question: 22 December 2022 – Continuity of service when it switches from Ardrossan to Troon
• Written Question: 22 December 2022 – Recruitment of CalMac officers for the MV Glen Sannox from Troon to Arran
• Written Question: 5 April 2023 – Timetabling of Troon-Arran service
• General Question: 21 September 2023 – Updates on Ardrossan Harbour and impact on Ardrossan-Arran service
• Written Question: 22 September 2023 – Multi-journey options for eBooking on Cumbrae-Largs route
• Topical Supplementary: 27 February 2024 – Failure to invest and consequences for Arran
• General Question: 29 February 2024 – Commitment to retain Ardrossan-Brodick service
• Written Question: 1 March 2024 – Irish Berth closure impact on transfer of Arran service from Ardrossan to Troon
• Portfolio Question: 7 March 2024 – Sidelining of MV Caledonian Isles, the main Ardrossan-Arran vessel

Parliamentary Questions referring to Ardrossan Harbour and/or the new vessels for the Ardrossan-Arran route and the dates they were answered:

• Written Question: 30 September 2021 – Ardrossan Harbour ownership
• Written Question: 30 September 2021 – Ardrossan Harbour plans
• Written Question: 30 September 2021 – Ardrossan Harbour terms
• Written Question: 19 January 2022 – Cabin space on new Ferguson vessels for Arran route
• Written Question: 22 September 2022 – Ardrossan Harbour Update
• Written Question: 30 September 2022 – Effect of inflation on costs of Ardrossan Harbour redevelopment
• Written Question: 4 October 2022 – Tender for Ardrossan Harbour upgrade
• Written Question: 22 December 2022 – Legal and commercial arrangements at Ardrossan Harbour
• Written Question: 28 March 2023 – Chartering of MV Alfred for CHFS Network
• Written Question: 14 April 2023 – CalMac seafarer recruitment
• Written Question: 19 April 2023 – Decision making re MV Alfred charter
• General Question Supplementary: 1 June 2023 – Timescales for the two vessels at Ferguson for Arran route
• Topical Supplementary: 28 November 2023 – Ardrossan Harbour delays and Peel
• Written Question: 18 January 2024 – Impact of cuts to grants on ferries and Ardrossan Harbour
• Topical Supplementary: 23 January 2024 – Ardrossan Harbour Task Force
• Written Question: 15 February 2024 – No of MV Alfred sailings
• Written Question: 15 February 2024 – Irish berth closure at Ardrossan Harbour
• Written Question: 19 February 2024 – Operational dates for two new vessels at Ferguson Marine
• Written Question: 20 February 2024 – Crew familiarisation on the Glen Sannox
• Written Question: 20 February 2024 – Business case to upgrade Ardrossan Harbour
• Written Question: 20 February 2024 – Dividend to Peel Ports at Ardrossan Harbour
• Written Question: 20 February 2024 – Ardrossan Harbour Task Force meetings
• Written Question: 20 February 2024 – Impact of Irish berth closure on passengers and staff
• Written Question: 21 February 2024 – Business case outcomes for Ardrossan Harbour
• Written Question: 1 March 2024 – Harbour dues to Peel at Ardrossan Harbour

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EIR 202400402694 - Information released - Annex A

File type

56 page PDF

File size

4.1 MB