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Thread: CalMac

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCram View Post
    Surely bigger ports to handle bigger ferries is the way forward. The RET formula for calculating fares is a combination of a fixed element (to ensure services remain sustainable and to cover fixed costs such as maintaining harbour infrastructure and vessels) and a rate per mile (calculated by Transport Scotland analysts using contemporary independent research by the RAC).

    The RET formula is reviewed annually by Transport Scotland.

    What I don't understand is why this system is unfair. It seems sensible but I am sure there must be a level of government subsidy as I don't believe that the ferries could be run solely on the income generated by the ferry users. Would be handy if someone could tell us the level of subsidy given to Calmac and relate that to the number of people who use the ferries.
    I will need to obtain the information about the annual subsidy from the Scottish Government from the Calmac Ferries Limited annual accounts which are listed on the Companies House website.
    The last time I looked which was about 4 years ago the Scottish Government handed over £128 million which resulted in Calmac Ferries Limited making a profit of £4.4 million at the end of their financial year on which they had to pay Corporation Tax.
    I would have thought that the Scottish Government would have only handed over sufficient funds to balance the books not for Calmac Ferries Limited to make a profit of over £4 million resulting in them having to pay Corporation Tax.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCram View Post
    Surely bigger ports to handle bigger ferries is the way forward. The RET formula for calculating fares is a combination of a fixed element (to ensure services remain sustainable and to cover fixed costs such as maintaining harbour infrastructure and vessels) and a rate per mile (calculated by Transport Scotland analysts using contemporary independent research by the RAC).

    The RET formula is reviewed annually by Transport Scotland.

    What I don't understand is why this system is unfair. It seems sensible but I am sure there must be a level of government subsidy as I don't believe that the ferries could be run solely on the income generated by the ferry users. Would be handy if someone could tell us the level of subsidy given to Calmac and relate that to the number of people who use the ferries.
    I enclose the list of reduced price fares for people using their Islander Card where you will also read at the foot of the page that Northlink Ferries have High Season, Shoulder Season and Low Season prices for their ferry routes. https://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/booking-info/fares/
    Calmac has the same prices for their ferry routes all the year round.

  3. #33
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    Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by islaydarkblue View Post
    I use Calmac Ferries and the problem with the Scottish Government owned Calmac ferries Limited lies with Scottish Government owned Caledonian Marine Assets Limited (CMAL) and Scottish Government owned Transport Scotland who awarded the contract for ferries 801 and 802 to Ferguson’s Shipyard which was bought out of Administration in July 2014 by Alex Salmond’s friend at that time Jim McCall who had previously made his fortune owning the company Clyde Blowers.
    The Calmac ferry crews and on shore staff work very hard and get all the complaints. Meanwhile Robbie Drummond who is the Chief Executive of Calmac Ferries Limited apologises for the continual breakdown of the Calmac ferries but nothing is ever done.
    If Robbie Drummond was the chief executive of a PLC he would have either resigned by now or been sacked but as a Scottish Government civil servant he is ‘fire proof’.
    You might not be aware that the MV Hebrides was withdrawn from service twice in a week.
    The first time she was moved to Ullapool pier where the Calmac mobile team of engineers attempted to repair the fault. After going back into service a couple of days later the same fault which was supposed to have been fixed happened again.
    This time the MV Hebrides was removed from service and sailed to dry dock in Greenock where she was out of service for over a week undergoing permanent repairs.
    This fiasco could have been resolved a lot quicker if the MV Hebrides had immediately sailed to dry dock instead of wasting a couple of days trying to fix the problem.
    There seems to a problem with the fire fighting capabilities on the Calmac Ferries as the MV
    Lord of the Isles ferry in May 2022 was withdrawn from service for a week whilst repairs were also carried out on its fire fighting system.
    I have plenty more information about Calmac Ferries Limited who are a Scottish Government owned operating company if you are interested.
    Independence would solve this.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by noahrab View Post
    Independence would solve this.
    Can it solve climate change?

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by islaydarkblue View Post
    I will need to obtain the information about the annual subsidy from the Scottish Government from the Calmac Ferries Limited annual accounts which are listed on the Companies House website.
    The last time I looked which was about 4 years ago the Scottish Government handed over £128 million which resulted in Calmac Ferries Limited making a profit of £4.4 million at the end of their financial year on which they had to pay Corporation Tax.
    I would have thought that the Scottish Government would have only handed over sufficient funds to balance the books not for Calmac Ferries Limited to make a profit of over £4 million resulting in them having to pay Corporation Tax.
    Does this £128m mean the we mainlanders subsidised you island dwellers to the tune of £124 m ( £128m less the £4m profit.

    Not sure I really support this level of subsidy. I think about 60000 people stay ion the island catered for by CalMac. that works out at a wee bit over £2000 per resident.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Returnofrros View Post
    Can it solve climate change?
    Its the answer to everything….apparently.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCram View Post
    Does this £128m mean the we mainlanders subsidised you island dwellers to the tune of £124 m ( £128m less the £4m profit.

    Not sure I really support this level of subsidy. I think about 60000 people stay ion the island catered for by CalMac. that works out at a wee bit over £2000 per resident.
    It is not just islanders. All the holidaymakers from all round the world are having their fares subsided by the Scottish taxpayers. This is why the ‘once size fits all’ Scottish Government flagship RET scheme is costing the Scottish taxpayers a lot of money.
    Prior to the introduction of the RET scheme the Scottish Government handed over £37 million to Calmac to balance their books.
    There are other costs involved.
    The fares on the larger Calmac ferries could be lower if the crews did not receive full board and lodgings when they are working their two weeks on stint.
    There are also too many staff employed at Calmac HQ in Gourock
    I have heard people complaining about this for the past twenty years.
    Last September (2021) a Calmac member of staff told me that there were 300 staff employed at the Calmac Head Office in Gourock with managers reporting to managers.
    The Calmac staff are all Scottish Government civil servants as Calmac Ferries Limited is owned by the Scottish Government.
    Last edited by islaydarkblue; 15-08-2022 at 09:04 PM.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by noahrab View Post
    Independence would solve this.
    How is an independent Scottish Government going to replace the £41 billion they are receiving from Westminster during this financial year. I suppose that they could use the same creative accounting measures that they currently use to calculate the CO2 emissions throughout Scotland every year.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    8,632
    Quote Originally Posted by islaydarkblue View Post
    It is not just islanders. All the holidaymakers from all round the world are having their fares subsided by the Scottish taxpayers. This is why the ‘once size fits all’ Scottish Government flagship RET scheme is costing the Scottish taxpayers a lot of money.
    Prior to the introduction of the RET scheme the Scottish Government handed over £37 million to Calmac to balance their books.
    There are other costs involved.
    The fares on the larger Calmac ferries could be lower if the crews did not receive full board and lodgings when they are working their two weeks on stint.
    There are also too many staff employed at Calmac HQ in Gourock
    I have heard people complaining about this for the past twenty years.
    Last September (2021) a Calmac member of staff told me that there were 300 staff employed at the Calmac Head Office in Gourock with managers reporting to managers.
    The Calmac staff are all Scottish Government civil servants as Calmac Ferries Limited is owned by the Scottish Government.

    Is subsidising fares maybe not just some prudent investment to draw people into these areas (relatively) cheaply, enable their spending in support of local communities and, ultimately, the national income? Let's face it once a tourist lands on any island in Scotland they're a sitting duck for the local rip off merchants.

  10. #40
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    Jul 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by islaydarkblue View Post
    How is an independent Scottish Government going to replace the £41 billion they are receiving from Westminster during this financial year. I suppose that they could use the same creative accounting measures that they currently use to calculate the CO2 emissions throughout Scotland every year.
    How much does the tourist industry in Scotland contribute to the UK central fund? Obviously not as much as Scotland receives back but it's another element of income to Westminster that you seem to ignore when ranting on about how Scotland receives funding via the Barnett Formula. Like most ranting unionists you forget that Scotland actually pays into central government as well as receiving from it.

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