Minister’s boat trip cost £1,200

Scottish Government minister Lorna Slater’s private hire of a boat for a trip to an island cost £1,200, it has emerged. The Scottish Conservatives used a freedom of information request to reveal the cost as originally quoted, which the Scottish Sun and Scottish Daily Mail reportedly had confirmed by Scottish Government agency NatureScot.

Ms Slater visited the Isle of Rum last month to discuss the future of Kinloch Castle.

That came after City financier and former Tory donor Jeremy Hosking withdrew a bid for the Edwardian building, blaming an intervention from Ms Slater.

The Scottish Government said at the time that hiring a boat, instead of using the governmentowned ferry service CalMac, allowed the minister to spend more time on the island.

A return ticket on the ferry to Rum costs £9.40 – although it is not clear how many officials travelled with Ms Slater, which would inflate the price.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “The minister’s visit was well received by residents and community groups.

“She met every available adult resident on the day, and had discussions with the Isle of Rum Community Trust during her visit.

“The crossing to Rum was arranged by NatureScot, with the agreement of the Scottish Government, to maximise time on the island.”

But the Tories accused the minister of having “no shame”.

The party’s transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: “The government she’s a member of has created mayhem on Scotland’s ferry network and yet she thought it appropriate to shun a CalMac ferry at less than a tenner a head return to shell out £1,200 on a chartered boat.

“It’s utterly tone deaf to the plight of islanders, who have to make do with a pitiful ferry service. It’s also the height of hypocrisy from a Green minister who’s forever demanding a greater use of public transport.”

Steve Robertson of the Isle of Rum Community Trust told the BBC the row was a “storm in a teacup”.

He added: “Lorna Slater is coming over to do a very important meeting to try and move things forward.

“It makes people feel disappointed that that’s the story when for us a taxi charter boat is a normal part of island life.”

ROW: Lorna Slater’s trip to Rum has become the focus of criticism.