Both NorthLink Ferries and CalMac Ferries offer concessionary fares for disabled passengers who hold a National Entitlement Card or equivalent. Disabled passengers living in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport region are eligible for discounted ferry travel if they live on an island or peninsula and hold a Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Ferry Card. Any local authority ferry services with fares for disabled passengers are set independently from Scottish Government concessionary fares.

Additionally, all eligible island residents living in Orkney, Shetland, North Ayrshire, Highland, Argyll and Bute and Eilean Siar council areas receive 4 free single ferry journeys per year to or from the mainland, as part of the Scottish Government’s ferries concessionary voucher scheme.

All concessionary fares for disabled passengers are listed on the corresponding local authority, CalMac or NorthLink websites. The Scottish Government concessionary fares are listed on the Transport Scotland website.

Guidance on the criteria for use in determining which projects will be awarded a Carbon Contract as part of the Carbon Contract pilot will be published on the NatureScot website in July.

Applications will be assessed by NatureScot and will align with processes for the 2026-2027 Peatland Action funding round.

External consultancy services will not be utilised for this process.

Scottish Government and NatureScot have engaged with a range of parties interested in taking part in the pilot. However, Scottish Government and NatureScot have not at this stage sought formal expressions of interest.

We have already implemented a substantial element of what is being asked, for those aged under 22, and this was announced at the time with extensive media coverage and announced to Parliament. These measures have been developed after careful consideration from the Island Connectivity Plan and Fairs Fare Review consultation. There are no immediate plans to extend these very positive measures which will help young people and their families facing cost of living pressures.

Northern Isles:

Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025

CHFS - Western Isles:

Under 22 free inter island ferry fares implemented from 1 April 2025

Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025

Other CHFS routes:

Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025

The capital costs associated with Carbon Contracts will be paid for from the Environment and Forestry Directorate’s budget. It will not impact upon the Peatland Action budget in this financial year.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-35362 and S6W-35361 on 24 June 2025. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

As a part of the Carbon Contracts pilot, Scottish Government intends to spend up to a total of £1m in capital.

The recently published Strategic Approach of the Islands Connectivity Plan sets Accessibility as one of four priorities for future ferry services and identifies a number of actions to support the delivery of this priority, including development of a Ferries Accessibility Standard and reopening of the Ferries Accessibility Fund.

Carbon Contracts are to be piloted as part of the Peatland ACTON programme. All projects will be required to meet Peatland ACTION quality criteria. Scottish Government has not undertaken modelling to estimate the exact impact of the Carbon Contracts pilot on levels of peatland restoration and CO2 emissions reductions. The pilot itself will play a key role in assessing the potential impact of the Carbon Contracts mechanism on rates of peatland restoration.

This is a matter for Orkney Islands Council.

However, through the work of the Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force, the Scottish Government has been pleased to support this trial and welcomes the recent arrival of Orkney’s first zero emission ferry.