THE eternal question of a satisfactory solution for the Dunoon-Gourock ferry service cannot be resolved until the government issues a tender specification - and that could potentially take up to two more months to finalise.

The Standard has been questioning the Scottish government’s transport department for some months - and has consistently been told that the eagerly-awaited spec will be issued “shortly”.
When the opportunity came to ask transport minister Stewart Stevenson face to face on Monday, the response was not particularly encouraging.

Mr Stevenson was in Cairndow visiting the Here We Are project. He and his team were later travelling to Mallaig, for a public meeting on Tuesday as part of the Scottish Ferries Review, but had arrived in Cowal one week too early for the similar event taking place in Dunoon next Monday.

Asked why the spec had not yet been issued, he advised that civil servants were working to make sure that every i is dotted and every t is crossed to satisfy EC requirements - adding that he expected to receive “proposals for the specification within the next couple of months” - depending on the work of officials and on feedback from meetings.
The minister was careful to reiterate his commitment to a passenger and vehicle service between the two town centres - but the promise has been given before, and until the community sees the colour of the tender specification, it perhaps remains to be convinced about the extent of the government’s commitment.

He was also keen to emphasise the care that is being taken to ensure that the tender spec complies with EC requirements and the vital importance of this.
“We need to structure something that is legal and absolutely correct. We have to proceed in a way which is not going to reopen an EU inquiry,” he said. “Remember that at one point we were facing a substantial fine for some practices - and that has been avoided.
“A lot of effort has also gone into the Scottish Ferries Review - the first ever such review.”
It is not known whether Mr Stevenson will be coming back to Dunoon for Monday’s Scottish Ferries Review consultation event, which will be held in the Queen’s Hall, Dunoon starting at 2pm.
The public events include a presentation on the review consultation document. The review is examining current provision, who should provide services, potential changes and improvements, funding and procurement, and the setting of fares.

In other ferry-related news, the national media has reported this week that the Scottish government is considering part-privatisation of CalMac’s parent company in an attempt to save taxpayers up to £1 billion over the next twelve years.
CMAL - which owns vessels and piers - would become a new, private, not for profit company. which could borrow on the open market. The day-to-day operation of CalMac would not be a target for privatisation.
The proposal is included within the Scottish Ferries Review, with attention drawn to the fact that with public spending cuts imminent, the government cannot afford to fund the new boats and infrastructure needed.
The proposal has attracted support and criticism across the political spectrum. Local resident and ferry economics expert Professor Neil Kay commented: “CMAL has been starved of funds since its inception so this  development should come as no surprise to anyone.”
Meanwhile, in the Scottish Transport Review, published in July, Western Ferries is cited as an “outstanding example” of economic development and entrepreneurship”.
Alfred Baird and Roy Peterson have both been members of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee of the Scottish parliament.

Professor Baird is understood to have co-authored a report which called for the publicly-funded service network to be broken up and handed over to private operators, as reported in the Sunday Herald earlier this year.
The report was commissioned by the Scottish government but was not made public - with a spokesman reported as saying that it “was not delivered to an acceptable standard.”
In the latest publication, Professor Baird compares Western Ferries to Cowal Ferries (operators of the Dunoon-Gourock route) in terms of passenger/vehicle numbers, trips per week and other criteria.
The article says that “the key elements leading to [the] improved performance of Western Ferries relate to superior choice of vessels, better service frequency and a shorter route. Western Ferries is therefore able to offer competitive prices without any subsidy and make a profit.”
It concludes: “It’s time to get real with Scotland’s ferry services....start by removing the dead hand of the state.”
Critics, of course, point out that the private operator, unlike CalMac, has no frequency restriction imposed and has not been hampered by lack of suitable vessels and investment.
Regardless of your position on the ferry debate, the fact remains that next Monday offers a crucial opportunity for members of the community to have their say about the Dunoon-Gourock route - and it may well still have a bearing on that crucial tender specification.

The meeting starts at 2pm in the Queen’s Hall, Dunoon on Monday August 23.

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