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More News On RET And Hauliers

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:38:08 +0000

Graham Laidlaw of Transport Scotland Ferries Unit flew into Tiree on the morning of Monday 30th January with Cllr Mary-Jean Devon and Cllr Roddy McCuish of Argyll & Bute Council, to meet 20 or so delegates representing the crofting, fishing, construction, retail, tourism and haulage sectors on Tiree and Coll.

The purpose of Mr Laidlaw’s visit was to listen to the islanders’ views on the government decision to remove commercial vehicles from the existing RET scheme. Mr Laidlaw left the island with a petition of 233 signatures.
In a well prepared, composed meeting, the Tiree community made its view clear that this decision will be ‘catastrophic’ for the economies of Tiree and Coll and will leave these fragile islands at ‘breaking point’ with unmanageable increases in costs for businesses and individuals.

Fuel prices, already 25ppl higher than the mainland will go up by another 1.25ppl. Tommy Barbour fuels has been quoted an increase in his ferry ticket from £214.80 to £370.80 for a tanker of fuel to the island. The cost of exporting livestock, the backbone of Tiree’s economy, will increase by 103%. Donald Morrison of United Auctions advised that this is going to make it very difficult to keep customers coming to the island to buy livestock. Small fishing businesses and croft businesses stand to lose £5 – 7 thousand a year. Iain MacKinnon of I.A. MacKinnon Haulage advised that the price of an articulated lorry carrying general goods will double. These costs will be passed onto customers increasing prices of building and agricultural supplies, coal, food and so forth.

Contrary to the government’s justification for its decision that ‘savings from RET have not been passed on by hauliers’ and ‘haulage is largely insensitive to RET’, there is a united view across all sectors that this is not the case. There was unanimous agreement that without RET freight prices would have escalated alongside the increasing costs associated with the industry. Tiree builder Angus MacKinnon pointed out to Mr Laidlaw that freight to Tiree and Coll is ‘ring-fenced’ and not driven by the price of the ferry tickets. Hauliers working on this route are providing life-line services carrying essential goods such as fuel, food and animal feed and exports of shell-fish and livestock. Councillor Mary-Jean Devon pointed out that she was ‘amazed that the government even expected there to be an increase in freight volume due to RET’. It was pointed out that whilst tourist traffic has increased during the RET pilot, tourist spending had not. Tiree was ‘full’ in the high season before RET and is still full. RET has encouraged the same number of visitors to bring extra or larger vehicles and trailers.

The notion in the Draft Ferries Report that tourism has seen the greatest benefit from RET has not been properly researched and the statement is distorted. Proposals put to Mr Laidlaw at the conclusion of the meeting were:

Ministers could simply instruct CalMac to increase fares across the board by a modest percentage to claw back the £2 million shortfall in the budget for RET.
That the implementation of the proposal be postponed pending full consultation on how the decision will affect the island economies.

Alan Reid, MP for Argyll & Bute has decribed the Scottish Government’s plans as ‘Outrageous ’. He told An Tirisdeach
“they are robbing Peter to pay Paul. I have written to Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown pointing out that his proposals will increase the cost of living substantially on the affected islands. I have urged him not to go ahead with these proposals”.

Professor Neil Kay, an Economist at Strathclyde University said that the Scottish Government’s policy on cheap ferry fares is economically illiterate and misguided. He said
“What is the point of offering a shop assistant cheap fares to the mainland if she cannot afford those fares because the business she worked for has just gone bust? You do not need an economist to answer that question – just common sense. No self-respecting economist would support RET as a device to get fares down.”

Reid Calls For Inquiry Into Scottish Electricity

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:13:42 +0000

Following early January’s storms and the resulting electricity black-outs, Alan Reid, MP for Argyll & Bute said,
“I am full of praise for the engineers from Scottish & Southern Energy who worked such long hours in very difficult conditions to restore power to the many affected communities. However, prevention is always better than cure and questions must be asked as to how the Argyll & Bute electricity supply network can be improved to make it much more robust against the storms which seem to be happening much more often these days. When Parliament returns I will be calling on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee to mount an inquiry into the state of Scotland’s electricity supply network and how it can be improved to reduce the problems caused by future severe storms.”

On 12th January Mr Reid’s calls were answered when it was announced that a Select Committee will be looking into:-

? The frequency and severity of weatherrelated power cuts in Scotland.
? The consequences of such power cuts to individuals, businesses and public sector services.
? The current condition and technological state of Scotland’s electricity transmission network.
? The advantages and disadvantages of using an alternative electricity transmission infrastructure, particularly regarding its vulnerability to weather-related damage.
? Was the response provided by the energy companies satisfactory? ?
How the regulation of Transmission System Operators and Distribution Network Operators impacts upon investment in Scotland’s electricity transmission network.

The Committee welcomes written evidence from interested parties on any, or all, aspects of the inquiry by 2 February 2012.
Submissions should be in Word format and sent by e-mail to scotaffcom@parliament.uk. The body of the email must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address and should not exceed 2,000 words.

Mr Reid said,
“I welcome this inquiry. I encourage people who were affected by the power black outs to give their views to the Committee before the closing date of 2nd February.”

RET And Hauliers

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:50:41 +0000

The Tiree Branch of the Scottish Crofting Federation have been in touch with Keith Brown, Transport Minister in the Scottish Government, with regard to the removal of RET on Commercial Vehicles on ferries. The plan is to replace RET with an amended system of the former “bulk discount rate” which had been in place prior to the introduction of the RET pilot three years ago.

While RET is now extended to vans five metres or less in length, the fact is that most commercial carriers use vans six metres and over in length as five metre vehicles are few and far between. Crofters fear that the Scottish Government is sacrificing the former commercial RET for the sake of introducing RET to other islands without putting any more money into the scheme. One crofter said it does`not bear thinking about what the cost of freight to the island will be if RET is not reintroduced to commercial vehicles.

The Scottish Government report “Assessment of the impacts of the road equivalent tariff” pointed out that RET has made a positive impact on haulage businesses by lowering costs. The reports states that hauliers recorded savings amounting to an estimated 50% of ferry costs, and that whilst all of these savings might not have been passed on to the customers directly it allowed hauliers to offset other increased costs and therefore enabled prices to be pegged where they would otherwise have increased. Despite this, the Scottish Government recently announced the exclusion of commercial vehicles from the newly-extended RET, announcing instead that they would ‘replace RET for larger commercial vehicles on the Western Isles, Coll & Tiree, with an enhanced pre-RET discount scheme’. There is widespread concern that islanders will lose out heavily as a result of these proposed changes. David Muir of the Scottish Crofting Federation said:

“the SCF are calling on the Scottish government to provide urgent clarity on the situation as we are concerned that a reintroduced discount system could take away a great deal of the support that RET has brought to smaller hauliers. Any resulting increase in ferry fare cost will be passed on to customers.”

. Mr Muir concluded that “to support the fragile island economies what is needed is a fair syatem that retains the cost savings for hauliers and other commercials gained in the RET scheme”.
MP Angus MacNeil has called for clarity quickly on the new proposed ferry fares for hauliers if the government continues with its current proposal to get rid of RET for lorries. He said “the decision to remove RET from the hauliers is a mistake. The removal of RET will ultimately lead to an increase in prices for customers in our islands. I will be pressing for a meeting with the trasnport minister early in the year. Meanwhile a campaign group, hauliers for RET, has been assembled to both work on the RET case and to dispel the myth that arose in Edinburgh that island hauliers did not want RET. If this is not sorted freight costs and prices will go up which could ultimately impact on jobs” David Wood, the spokesman for “Hauliers for RET” commented that
“RET has benefited the islands and to remove it from the haulage industry will be detrimental to the whole community. Ultimately our customer will have to pay.”
The Scottish Ferry Services Draft Plan for Consultation states in the short term we are replacing RET for larger commercial vehicles on the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree, with an enhanced pre- RET discount scheme because:-

The RET evaluation report shows that savings made by hauliers through RET have generally not been passed on to the consumers.
In 93 per cent of cases, the reduction in ferry fares arising through the RET Pilot have been wholly or partially absorbed at some stage in the supply chain, without being fully passed on to customers. Only 7 per cent of firms in the sample of businesses indicated that the savings had been passed on in full throughout the supply chain from both their suppliers and on to their customers.
The cost of rolling out RET to larger commercial vehicles is an estimated 40 per cent of the total cost of RET. ? Before the introduction of RET, hauliers received discounts to their fares up to a maximum of 15 per cent dependent on their volume of business with CalMac. Island hauliers told us when we rolled RET out that they were concerned mainland hauliers would be able to compete more effectively with them now that the same discounts applied to all hauliers. We will reinstate the pre-RET discounts that were enjoyed by hauliers and increase for the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree the maximum discount from 15 per cent to 25 per cent.
For the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree the Government is considering how to extend the current discount eligibility criteria for hauliers.
The Government is open to discussing with businesses which use larger commercial vehicles the most equitable formula which could be used to apply these discounts so that they benefit both larger and smaller companies.
These improvements to the discount will be made for the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree only, where hauliers have received the RET discount since October 2008. While the discount has not been passed on to consumers we accept that in these difficult financial times some hauliers may find it difficult to now pay a fully increased fare. The increase to the maximum discount reduces the impact on these hauliers. We will revisit the discount again when we renew the Clyde and Hebrides contract in October 2013.
We will look in the next CHFS tender to extend the current definition of a commercial vehicle from 5 metres to 6 metres. This will be consistent with the position in the Northern Isles

World’s rarest turtle washed ashore

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:50:25 +0000

This young turtle was found freshly dead on 9th December, the day after the big storm, and was originally identified as a Loggerhead. However, experts have now re-identified it as Britain’s 36th record of Kemp’s Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). A few days later, a second individual was found on a beach in Ceredigion, West Wales.
Kemp’s Ridley Turtles are a warm water species, and the rarest of the marine turtles. They are considered critically endangered, nesting only on a few beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr Peter Richardson of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says these recent turtle strandings suggest there may be more turtles out there that could wash up on UK beaches. “Our advice isthat under no circumstances should stranded turtlesbe thrown back in the sea. While they may appear to be dead, they may in fact be comatose due to the cold conditions, and can be nursed back to health if immediately rescued and given expert care. If they are dead, it is important that they are collected and stored for post-mortem examination.”
MCS has a produced a UK Turtle Code, which can be downloaded at www.mcsuk.org and gives information on how to identify turtle species found in the UK and who to call if you find one. In addition, all dead or alive stranded turtles should be reported to Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM) on 01348 875000.
MEM organises the rescue and rehabilitation of live stranded turtles; collection and post-mortem of dead animals and maintains a national database of turtlereports.

Still nO² Signal!!

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:49:28 +0000

O2 customers on Tiree are still without a mobile phone signal following the storm of 8th December!!!

Despite numerous complaints from customers, as well as the involvement of Councillor Mary-Jean Devon and a feature on the radio, O2 have failed to recognise or repair the problem with the transmitter.
It now seems that O2 have accepted their responsibility and are finally about to deal with it. Watch this space!!
O2 was formed in 1985 as Cellnet, a joint venture between BT Group and Securicor. In 1999 BT Group acquired Securicor’s share of Cellnet and the company was later re-branded as BT Cellnet and then as O2 in 2002.
In 2005 the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica acquired BT Group’s European mobile telecommunications businesses for £18 billion.

The Big December Storm

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:45:39 +0000

The huge storm that hit Scotland on Thursday 8th December left more than 150,000 homes without power during the day on Thursday and more than 70,000 were still off overnight. At least 10,000 homes in Scotland were still without power on the Saturday.
Here on Tiree it took until lunchtime on Sunday before power was restored to all homes! The hurricane-force storm has been described as a ‘weather bomb’, which in meteorological terms is defined as an ‘explosive deepening’.
According to catastrophe modelling specialists, Windstorm Friedhelm “began as a depression over the northern Atlantic, but as it approached the British Isles, it experienced a rapid drop of pressure that caused its wind speeds to soar”. This phenomenon occurs when cold air meets warm air and is characterised by a decrease in atmospheric pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. The lower the pressure, the stronger the winds become. Thursday’s storm was accompanied by a drop of 44mb!
By 9.50am ‘Windstorm Friedhelm’ officially became a hurricane as winds of 76mph were recorded at Tiree Airport – winds over 74mph are classified as hurricane strength. It was to get worse, with the maximum gust on Tiree being 91mph (146kmh). The mean wind speed for the day was 61mph. At Aonach Mor, just outside Fort William, there was a gust of 130mph (209kmh), whilst winds at Cairngorm Summit reached 165mph (264kmh).
Thanks to Sophie Isaacson for the photograph and to all the hydro boys for restoring our power in such horrendous conditions.

Neil Recognized For Loyal Service

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:57:23 +0000

The Scottish Ambulance Service was delighted to recognise the work that Neil Munn has undertaken over the last 27 years at a staff awards ceremony in the Glasgow City Chambers, where he was given an award for ‘Working Together for Better Patient Care’.

He has been a loyal provider of ambulance services to the community of Tiree.

Garry Fraser, General Manager for the SW division said:

“I have known Neil for many years, since I worked on the air ambulance as a paramedic. It is testament to his dedication and commitment that he has provided a service to his community for this length of time. I recall at one point that he was the only ambulance driver on the island working closely with the local doctor. I am delighted that he is being recognised for these years of service”.

Mod Success for Tiree’s Talented Youth

admin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:16:27 +0000

Tiree once again led the field in the under 19 accordion competition ( March, Strathspey and Reel of own choice) at the National Mod in Stornoway.

Pictured are Ian Smith (right) and Eilidh MacFadyen who won Gold and Silver respectively. Also pictured is Jack MacRobbie who has attended Tiree Feis regularly over the years and scored highly on the day.

All are accomplished musicians who are pupils of Gordon Connell , no stranger to success in tutoring young players. Ian has now commenced study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow , Eilidh is at Sabhal Mor in Skye and Jack attends Lews Castle College in Benbecula – all following further study in music.

Nach iad a rinn math!

Joyce MacInnes (Tiree High School Music Club)

RSPB information – September 2011

admin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:04:25 +0000

photo courtesy of Jim Dickson

September is the month when large numbers of birds are on the move as they head south once more for the winter. Lying on the East Atlantic Flyway, Tiree is well placed to see migration in action as wildfowl and waders pass through from their Arctic breeding grounds, whilst strong winds from fast-moving Atlantic depressions often bring more unusual species to the island.

With a very active hurricane season off the eastern seaboard of America during the month, winds were predominantly from the west and these brought bumper numbers of American waders to the island, part of a record influx to Britain and Ireland. These included an adult White-rumped Sandpiper at The Reef (15th), just the second record for the island following the first at Gott Bay in August, a juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper at Sandaig (26th-27th), single juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Loch a’ Phuill (3rd) and Barrapol (29th), plus a scattering of up to 5 juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers (9th-27th).

Easterly winds on the back of the depressions however brought the rarest bird to the island when a Blyth’s Reed Warbler appeared at Balephuil (19th-26th). This small brown warbler is very similar to the more widespread Common Reed Warbler but is subtly different in shape and plumage. It breeds in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe and normally winters in India, so it was well off course! Equally lost was an exotic-looking Hoopoe(pictured) at Balemartine in wet and windy conditions (30th), which quickly realised the error of its ways and moved on.

Other wanderers from Continental Europe included a Nightingale at Vaul (3rd-8th), juvenile Common Rosefinches at Balephuil (19th-24th and 30th), a juvenile Dotterel at Ruaig (25th-26th) and an Osprey at Moss (13th). There was no replay of the Lapland Bunting invasion that occurred last autumn and instead there was a more typical showing of just 3 birds (from 19th), whilst the first 4 Snow Buntings were seen (from 25th).

NW gales on 7th-14th brought high numbers of seabirds off the north coast including 6 juvenile Sabine’s Gulls, 46 Sooty Shearwaters, 28 Leach’s Petrels, 8 Storm Petrels, 2 Pomarine Skuas, 48 Arctic Skuas and some 94 Great Skuas in amongst hundreds of Gannets, Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters, auks and Arctic Terns, whilst there was a Grey Phalarope off Soa (28th).

Wader interest included an influx of at least 45 Curlew Sandpipers, 5 Little Stints, 10 Whimbrel, 31 Black-tailed Godwits and a record influx of Ruff including a group of 33 at Loch a’ Phuill (18th). Large numbers of smaller birds were also on the move, with the gardens and other areas of cover attracting common migrants such as Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Sedge Warbler, Goldcrest and Greenfinch, plus the first Robins and the odd Dunnock. Less common migrants included a very late Grasshopper Warbler at Balephuil (15th), Garden Warblers at Balephuil (2nd) and Vaul (4th), a late Whitethroat at Balephuil (24th-25th) and up to 4 Common Redpolls. Small numbers of Corncrakes, Sand Martins and Swallows hung on to the end of the month whilst winter migrants passing through included the first 12 Pale-bellied Brent (from 18th) and 13 Whooper Swans at Loch a’ Phuill (16th), although no Redwings had been seen by the month-end.

Winter raptors such as Hen Harrier, Merlin and Kestrel were also back in force, whilst the lone sub-adult Golden Eagle lingered around West Tiree. Many thanks to those of you who have kept me posted with your latest observations. If anyone would like to report unusual sightings of birds or other wildlife on Tiree, please contact me at the address below:

John Bowler, Pairc na Coille, Balephuil, Isle of Tiree PA77 6UE. Tel: 220748

25th Tiree Wave Classic

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:05:29 +0000

Britain’s biggest and best windsurfing competition has just taken place on Tiree – for the 25th year.

The week long Tiree Wave classic attracts some of the best windsurfers from across the world. It is also the crucial third leg of the British wave sailing Association Wave Tour.

Organisers have gone to great lengths to make sure that everybody involved in the event, from crew to competitors, are aware of Tiree’s stunning natural environment and the importance of protecting the landscape. Jim Brooks-Dowsett, from the events hosts Pura Vida Boardriders, said “We are thrilled to be hosts in this special 25th year and we’re doing everything we can to make sure it is a massive success. Everyone on the island we’ve spoken to are so welcoming and it’s been a pleasure to involve so many local people and businesses to produce this year’s magnificent event “

Organisers describe the professional fleet as the best British Windsurfing talent seen at one competition for more than a decade, while many more stars of tomorrow will compete in the Amateur and Junior ranks.

Andy Groom, a co-organiser of the first Tiree Wave Classic back in 1986, said “I’m so proud of this event, from what it was – to what it’s evolved to. It’s down to so many people, the islanders, the sailors and the team behind it, I’m proud of them all. It is a special place, with special people, and I’m really looking forward to this years event.” Past winners of the classic are returning this year to join in the celebrations. BWA Chairman, Nigel Treacy, said “We are delighted to see the Scottish leg of the UK Championship return to Tiree once again. The island offers some of the most challenging weather and wave conditions anywhere in Europe.

The event is steeped in history with many of the past winners going on to compete on the world stage and we welcome some of those legends back in 2011 to compete again.” Paul Bush,OBE, Chief Operating Officer for Event Scotland – the national events agency – said “We are delighted to be supporting the Tiree Wave Classic for it’s 25th anniversary . It is a wonderful event to showcase Scotland as the perfect stage for water sports. It is also a great event for the local area as they welcome the participants and spectators to this scenic Hebridean Island” Andrew Montgomery, Argyll Estates Factor, said “Once again Argyll Estates welcomes all those competitors and spectators alike to the 2011 Tiree Wave Classic. The event is certainly one which many of the islands residents look forward to and is a superb way of rounding off what will hopefully have been a great summer for windsurfers, kitesurfers and other water sports enthusiasts both living on and visiting the island. We have some amazing talent on the island including Tiree Kitesurf Academy, Wild Diamond and Suds Surf School, all of whom provide a service which I believe is well received. Tiree really does lend itself perfectly to the event and I wish all those competing the best of luck.” Councillor Dick Walsh, leader of Argyll & Bute Council, said “it’s always a pleasure to welcome competitors and spectators to Tiree for this important event. Year after year everyone who comes along has a magical experience at this very special place.”