Secretary of State for Transport questioned over ferries while Maritime Minister is on the Island

While Maritime Minister Mike Kane was in a meeting yesterday morning facing questions from our MPs and others about cross-Solent transport issues, his boss was also getting grilled about the Island’s ferry problems.

Secretary of State Heidi Alexander gave evidence to the Transport Select Committee yesterday, and Derby South MP, Baggy Shanker asked her about the Island’s ferry transport links. He said: “As a Derby MP, I’ve noticed in the chamber the ferry service to the Isle of Wight gets raised several times. Reliability and pricing issues.

“Is the DFT doing all it can to help find a resolution to that issue?”

The Secretary of State replied: “Yes, I’m very aware of this issue as well and one of the newly elected MPs, Richard Quigley, has raised this with me on a number of occasions and I’ve already met with him.

“I do know that the Maritime Minister, Mike Kane, is hosting a roundtable this week to discuss this very issue with the various ferry operators and local elected representatives. I do appreciate how frustrating this issue is for residents of the Island and I look forward to catching up with the Maritime Minister to understand what the outcomes of that meeting this week are.”

Richard Quigley explained: “It’s become a bit of a running joke with my colleagues that I mention ferries no matter what the discussion is.  Well it paid off as Baggy Shanker MP asked me what he could as ask at his Transport Select Committee whilst I was at the ferries round-table on the Island.

“I’m grateful to the Secretary of State Heidi Alexander and Minister Mike Kane for taking the issue seriously. I’ll still keep mentioning ferries at every opportunity.