Green minister Lorna Slater's private ferry charter cost £1,200

Scottish Greens minister Lorna Slater's charter of a private boat for an official island visit cost £1,200.

A Scottish Conservatives freedom of information request revealed the cost, which was covered by government agency NatureScot.

Ms Slater visited the Isle of Rum, off the west coast, for five hours on 12 May. A return ferry ticket costs £9.40.

She was criticised at the time for using a private hire instead of a government-owned CalMac service.

The ministerial visit was arranged to discuss the future of the island and Kinloch Castle.

City financier and former Tory donor Jeremy Hosking had said he was interested in buying the castle, but blamed Ms Slater's intervention when he withdrew his bid.

Rum, the largest of the Small Isles in the inner Hebrides, is mostly owned by Nature Scot and has a population of about 40 in its off-grid community 30 miles from the mainland.

The Scottish government said at the time that hiring a boat, instead of taking a ferry, allowed the minister to spend more time on the island.

Eight passengers - Ms Slater, three NatureScot staff, two government staff and two islanders - travelled on the 42-berth MV Larven, leaving Mallaig before 09:00.

The Scottish government said they returned to the mainland later that afternoon, having spent five hours on Rum.

The catamaran is owned by Western Isles Cruises Ltd but has also been chartered by Calmac to cover Small Island routes between Mallaig and the small isles since 2019.

CalMac runs a return service between Rum and Mallaig on three weekdays and at weekends during the summer season, costing £9.40 per passenger.

The cost for Ms Slater and her party would have been £75.20 had they been able to use the ferry.

On Fridays the MV Lochnevis leaves Mallaig at 12:45, arriving at 14:10. That gives three hours and 10 minutes on the island before the return crossing departs at 17:20.

A longer day trip is possible on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Saturdays the ferry timetable allows a stop on the island of seven hours and 25 minutes.

NatureScot said it uses private boats if required to access the island.

A spokeswoman said: "As owners of most the island, we use charters as circumstances demand."

She added: "As we move forward to try and find a solution to the complicated issues around Kinloch Castle, it was important to ensure [Ms Slater] had as much time as possible on the island and we appreciated the minister fitting the visit into her busy schedule."

Steve Robertson from the island's community trust previously described the row as "a storm in a teacup" but confirmed that the CalMac ferry service did not meet the island's needs.

On Friday he told BBC Scotland the key story for islanders was that Ms Slater "came to see us, to hear us" and she took a "normal method of transport" that is also used for doctors, tradesmen and to transport children to school each week.

"We have to use charters to make things work," he said.

However, the Scottish Conservatives accused the minister of having "no shame".

Their transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: "This revelation is a further kick in the teeth to Scotland's betrayed island communities - as well as taxpayers footing the enormous bill for the SNP-Greens' ferries scandal."

He added: "The government she's a member of has created mayhem on Scotland's ferry network through their incompetence, and yet she thought it appropriate to shun a CalMac ferry at less than a tenner a head return to shell out £1,200 of public money on a chartered boat to take her and her team to Rum.

"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."

A Scottish government spokeswoman said Ms Slater's visit was "warmly welcomed by the community" and was an opportunity to discuss its "vision for the future of the island and Kinloch Castle".

The former Edwardian pleasure palace is at risk of deteriorating as it is no longer being used as a hostel.

"The minister's visit on 12 May was well received by residents and community groups," the spokeswoman said.

"The crossing to Rum was arranged by NatureScot, with the agreement of the Scottish government, to maximise time on the island speaking to residents and fit with Ms Slater's ministerial schedule."