20 February 2008 - Scotland and Northern Ireland link together

At their first bi-lateral meeting in Scotland, held in Edinburgh Castle, the Ministers agreed:

To sign a declaration making a commitment to give urgent consideration to the feasibility study on the possible reinstatement of the Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry service as soon as it is available.

That we share interest in the renewables potential that surrounds us and harnessing that potential can meet our future energy demands several times over while tackling climate change. But to do that we need to find the right opportunities and the right ways of capturing their benefits. Ministers will now work to consider a proposal for EU Interreg Cross Border Programme funding to allow a full feasibility study.

Speaking following the meeting Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: “We need to establish strong links if we are to fully harvest our resources. We need the transport links to realise our economic and tourism potential. We need the energy links to manage our offshore renewables potential. And we need the government links to enable us to work together effectively.

“Today we have made good progress on areas which are the key to further co-operation. At the British-Irish Council meeting last week we continued dialogue and joint work with our neighbours and our cousins. Now we continue, in that spirit, to work together with Northern Ireland to make the most of our connections.

“We have both recognised the renewables potential that surrounds us. Harnessing that potential can meet our future energy demands several times over, while tackling climate change. But to do that we need to find the right opportunities and the right ways of capturing their benefits. A sub-sea grid offers a promising way of collecting and transmitting a most valuable resource – clean, green power. We are committed to investigating this option.

“Meanwhile, significant progress has already been made towards appointing a consultant to carry out an appraisal of the proposal to reinstate the Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry service. That appraisal will be completed by the summer and we will be eagerly studying its assessment, which will allow us to decide the best way forward.

“Today’s joint declaration is a commitment made from dialogue, effort and mutual ambition. It is a sign of our commitment to working together for the benefit of both our countries.”

First Minister Dr Ian Paisley MP, MLA, said: “Today’s meeting has been very productive providing us with the opportunity to learn from Scotland’s experiences of devolution.

“The ties of culture, commerce and family that have long linked our two countries makes this as much a meeting of friends as of administrations.”

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP, MLA, said: “Today’s meeting was very useful in building on the growing links between our two administrations.

“We have also found ourselves working on developing relationships within these islands and there is no doubt that here too, a spirit of cooperation can ensure that we can achieve much which will be to the betterment of all our peoples.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The declaration regarding the Cambeltown-Ballycastle Ferry service is available to view at the Scottish Government website.
2. The Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) appraisal of a Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry service will be completed this summer.
3. During the Scottish First Minister's visits to Belfast on 18/19 June, and at the British Irish Council on 16 July, Northern Ireland Ministers indicated their willingness to work with the Scottish Government to consider ways in which the project might be taken forward. The Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to examine the case for restoring the ferry service.
4. Since then officials from both administrations have discussed joint working arrangements for taking the project forward. The Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson discussed this with Nigel Dodds, at the end of November. During that discussion, it was agreed that a fresh economic appraisal, using the STAG should be undertaken.
5. This STAG appraisal will allow both Governments to assess the economic viability of the route. It will also allow us to identify the preferred ferry service option, together with the key terms of a service specification, which might be used for a future tender exercise, and a detailed review of the vessel availability.
6. The Scottish government is exploring the potential for sub-sea grid development to exploit the offshore renewables resource off the Atlantic coasts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A pre-scoping study was undertaken last year, led by the Scottish Government in partnership with the Northern Irish and Irish administrations.
7. Subsea electricity and telecommunications cables between Scotland and Northern Ireland, and between Scotland other international jurisdictions, will be exempt from business rates from April 1. This will reduce operators’ fixed costs and improve the business case for the expansion of links between Scotland and its international neighbours. This is consistent with the Government Economic Strategy and brings Scotland in line with other parts of the UK. The Valuation and Rating (Exempted Classes) (Scotland) Order will come into force on 1 April.
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