Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has declared himself “very open to the possibility” of subsea tunnels linking the Western Isles to the mainland, saying there is a “very strong case” for their development.

The SNP leader made the comments during a packed public question and answer session at Tarbert Community Centre last night (Tuesday 11 August), where he faced more than an hour of questions on some of the biggest issues facing island communities.

Mr Swinney was today (12 August) visiting Macauley College on Loch Road just outside of Stornoway which provides people with additional social and educational requirements with a programme of activities that encourages them to have meaningful and fulfilling working and social lives. He also took time out to speak with WLS about his visit.

His comments will raise the prospect of a major rethink of the way the Western Isles is connected to the rest of Scotland, with islanders having endured years of ferry disruption and increasingly high travel costs.

Mr Swinney pointed to work being undertaken by Shetland Islands Council on the development of subsea tunnels, saying lessons from that project could potentially be transferred to the Western Isles.

“Probably the most developed work that’s been done on the tunnels has been done by Shetland Islands Council with government funding and support,” he said. “I think there is a very strong case for the development of tunnels.

“The experience we can see where, for example, other fixed links have been put in place between islands, there has been a strengthening of local population.

"So I’m very open to considering the options round about tunnels.”

He said work being undertaken in Shetland was examining the “practical, economic and financial approaches” to delivering tunnels and could provide valuable lessons for other parts of Scotland. “That learning is transferable to any other situation in the country and the government is very happy to consider what those possibilities would be,” he added.

“There are serious prospects and opportunities for such an agenda and we have to be open to that possibility.”

Ferry frustration
The prospect of fixed links was raised against a backdrop of continuing concern over the reliability and cost of the Western Isles ferry network.

Mr Swinney “accepted unreservedly” that disruption to ferry services before May this year had been “completely unacceptable”.

However, he said he believed services had become “pretty stable and effective” since May and claimed this gave him “growing confidence that we are turning the corner” in ferry operations.

He highlighted the role of the MV Glen Sannox, which has been shuttling between ports in the Sound of Harris to help maintain capacity while vessels undergo repairs.

The First Minister also revealed that four new vessels are expected to join the fleet over the coming months, with the first due to arrive in late September, followed by two more vessels and the MV Glen Rosa. “There is investment underway that will give us ever greater resilience,” he said.

He also pointed to the smaller vessels programme, which will provide a further nine vessels. “So I’m more confident that the ferry services will operate as you would expect them to,” he said.

Guga hunt
The future of the traditional guga hunt was also raised, amid concerns that scientific assessments and offshore wind developments could affect future licences.

Mr Swinney said the hunt was lawful but required a licence from NatureScot. “My personal view is that I have no issue with the guga hunt taking place,” he said. “It is a historic tradition and I have no aspiration to take that away.” 

However, he said decisions on licensing had to take account of scientific evidence relating to the guga population. NatureScot has concluded that the numbers were not strong enough this year to sustain a cull.

Mr Swinney said there should be “absolute transparency” around the evidence used to reach such decisions, arguing that the community should be able to consider, challenge and question the scientific basis.

Spiorad na Mara decision
The proposed N4 Spiorad na Mara offshore wind development was another major topic, with Mr Swinney asked whether the Scottish Government would respect the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's formal objection.

He said the project would ultimately have to be determined by Scottish Ministers and that the Comhairle’s position would form part of the evidence considered. But he stressed that, as the application remained live, he could not prejudge the outcome.

“Although Comhairle has expressed its opinion and I recognise and respect that opinion, Ministers by statute have got to determine these applications,” he said.

Mr Swinney said ministers would consider a wide range of factors, including planning policies and environmental obligations. “I’m acutely aware of the sensitivity of this development, of the impact on so many different aspects of life, about the very high visual impact involved, about the potential effect on the natural environment,” he said.

He gave an assurance that those issues would be “properly and fully considered” before a decision was reached.

Energy “dysfunction”
The First Minister was also challenged over whether large-scale renewable developments were delivering sufficient benefits to the islands which host them.

He acknowledged what he described as a “dysfunction” in the UK energy market, pointing out that the Western Isles can generate significant amounts of electricity while island households continue to face high energy costs and fuel poverty.  "If it were to go ahead it would create huge amounts of power that was heading to the mainland while islanders faced fuel poverty and higher energy costs,” he said of the N4 proposal.

"There is something completely dysfunctional about our energy market where we generate significant amounts of energy and we don’t see the benefits of that.”

Mr Swinney argued that communities hosting major renewable energy projects could be paying some of the highest electricity charges in the UK.

He said the issue required fundamental reform of the UK energy market.

A packed day in the islands

The Tarbert meeting came at the end of a busy day for Mr Swinney in the Western Isles.

His itinerary included the official opening of the new performance wing at Cnoc Soilleir in South Uist, a visit to Grimsay Heritage Centre in North Uist and the inauguration of a new housing development by Hebridean Housing Partnership at Leverburgh.

He told the audience that his visit was intended to ensure he heard directly from communities about the issues concerning them.

“I want to make sure I hear from communities the length and breadth of the country, those issues that are on people’s minds,” he said.

He added that he had a “special part of my heart” for Scotland’s islands and wanted to ensure he understood and did his best to meet the needs of island communities.

Other issues raised from the floor included air travel disruption, high fuel bills, the future of Scottish independence, immigration and work visas for international talent, and questions about the political record of the SNP.

The final question concerned the criminal case involving former SNP treasurer Peter Murrell, husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was jailed earlier this year after admitting embezzling £400,000 from the party.

Mr Swinney said he saw no need for an independent review because the matter had already been subject to a lengthy police investigation and prosecution. “For the simple reason there has been a police investigation,” he said. “It has taken years and you can’t have a higher quality investigation than a police investigation.” He said the SNP had subsequently introduced additional accounting safeguards.