Ferry disruption compensation scheme extended

A compensation scheme to help island businesses hit by ferry disruption has been extended to cover more of the Hebrides.

The £4.4m island business resilience fund was set up to help sectors of the economy most impacted by ferry problems.

This includes tourism and the transportation of perishable goods like seafood.

The Scottish government said the scheme was being extended to cover the islands of Coll, Tiree, Small Isles, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Barra, Vatersay, Islay and Jura.

Scottish ministers said the decision to extend it had followed feedback from island communities and also updated analysis.

Residents on the Isle of Mull had been among those to criticise the original scope of the scheme as unfair.

More than £1m has already been paid out from the fund, which will continue to be managed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

It opened for further applications on Monday and will close on 12 January, with decisions and payments expected by before the end of the March 2026.

Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon said they had "listened carefully" to island communities that had not qualified for support when the fund first opened.

She said: "Working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, we will continue to do everything we can to address the challenges faced by our island communities to allow them to thrive."