On Tuesday, CalMac Ferries announced that the return of Arran’s resident ferry, the MV Caledonian Isles, was to be delayed again. Since it was taken out of service for its annual overhaul in January, the timescale for the vessel’s return has gone from early March to June, to August, to September, to October and to mid-November. That has greatly impacted Arran’s long-suffering people, businesses and visitors.

With no obvious progress as yet on the redevelopment of Ardrossan harbour, how will the Scottish Government and its agencies ensure that the ferry service to Arran—which is the busiest in the network—is reliable, robust and resilient, and one that islanders and visitors can have confidence in?