Isle Of Wight MP Wants Government To Impose Stricter Measures On Ferries

Compensation for people affected by late ferries and extra money to support a new cross-Solent operator are among the measures the Isle of Wight's MP wants the Government to impose.

Speaking about Solent ferries in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday), Bob Seely called on ministers to protect the 'public interest'.

Mr Seely said "the ferry services fall down too often" and urged the Government to be more involved.

He also asked the Government to oversee ferry timetables directly and for it to limit or regulate the debt levels of large transport companies.

Mr Seely also made the case for a public service obligation to be imposed on cross-Solent transport providers. A public service obligation would legally mandate ferry providers to run a certain number of services each day and at certain times.

He told Parliament:

“First, following up on the letter that I wrote, can the Government take the power to oversee ferry timetables in the same way that the Rail Minister does with rail timetables?

“Secondly, especially because we have a Treasury Minister here, will the Treasury support a national infrastructure bid potentially by a new ferry operator - a free-market alternative - to get a new player into the market, especially if it is a community interest company that will keep a low debt level and a more affordable price structure for Islanders?

As Isle of Wight Radio reported last month, Mr Seely threw his support behind plans for a new operator.

He said he has already met with the team behind the plans.

He continued:

“Thirdly, will the Government look at other measures and potentially take other controls over ferry firms, for instance through looking at their debt level?  … the privatisation of Wightlink did not work, and that company has been loaded up with debt by corporate sharks over the years. That debt gets paid for every time an Islander uses the ferry service, and it is frankly unfair. I also question whether it is right for public services, be they Wightlink or Southern Water, to be owned ultimately by companies based in offshore tax havens. It is not right and it is not good for us that that practice continues.

“Fourthly, can we look at extending the EU261/UK261 regulations, which cover air travel, to cover the ferry firms?

Mr Seely also made the case for a public service obligation to be imposed on cross-Solent transport providers. A public service obligation would legally mandate ferry providers to run a certain number of services each day and at certain times.

“Fifthly, can we add public service obligations, either supported or unsupported by the taxpayer? Will the Government support the Isle of Wight Council or the Department for Transport taking a share in Wightlink or potentially Red Funnel? Will the Government also look at a cap on costs for those travelling to the mainland for health-related travel? Unlike the Isles of Scilly, we do not have the same beneficial arrangement, and those costs are sometimes higher than they are for other people.”

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