Commenting following today’s resignation of the Transport Minister, Kevin Stewart MSP, Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Islands and Highlands and Islands MSP, Jamie Halcro Johnston said:
“I am sorry to learn of Kevin Stewart’s struggles with his mental health, and I hope he is able to get the help and support he needs. This must have been an incredibly difficult decision for him.
“This is a highly pressured but vitally important role. And with the First Minister now having to find the SNP’s third transport minister this year alone, Humza Yousaf must find someone who will bring some continuity to this role.
“Our transport system is in crisis, with islanders and others in rural Scotland feeling the impact of a ferries network that is simply not fit for purpose, and with vital road projects like the A9 dualling having been kicked into the long grass with no new timescale for completion.
“Both previous transport ministers, Kevin Stewart and Jenny Gilruth, repeatedly promised to visit local communities across the Highlands and Islands affected by the ongoing ferries crisis, but those promises often went unmet.
“People and businesses reliant on our ferries, and who just want to make clear to the Scottish Government the importantce of these links and what they need for the future – such as those living on both sides of the Corran Narrows crossing - have been left waiting far too long for visits by successive Transport Ministers.
“Humza Yousaf must prioritize the appointment of a new Transport Minister, someone who is capable of taking responsibility for this crisis and working to put in place the immediate action needed to address the issues facing our transport system.
“If he doesn’t, communities across the Highlands and Islands will continue to be impacted, with the growing transport crisis only getting worse, and ministers in Edinburgh listening even less”.
