McInnes demands swift end to EU ferry inquiry

1.37.05pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 1st May 2008

Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson Alison McInnes has called for a speedy resolution to the EU inquiry into the Northlink and Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services.

The EU Transport Commissioner is in Edinburgh today to launch his inquiry, prompted by complaints that subsidies to the state-owned companies had breached EU competition law.

Commenting, Mrs McInnes said:

"The EU insisted that tendering be introduced. This cost taxpayers £20million. Now the EU is querying the tendering process, which it had seen and accepted. If this inquiry concludes that the process was anti-competitive, the EU must compensate Scotland for these wasted millions, which could have been spent on improving ferry services.

"It's absolutely critical that this inquiry is progressed as quickly as possible and without disrupting these lifeline services to the Scottish islands. I appreciate that the EU must investigate complaints, but I would be interested to see who has made them. There has been speculation that an SNP MEP was involved. If ferry services are jeopardised because of the SNP's actions, islanders will never forgive them.

"The uncertainty and bureaucracy created by this inquiry means that there is a real danger that ferry operators will be diverted from their core task of maintaining and improving their services to the remote island communities they serve."