<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<p><i>From BBC Radio Orkney:</i></p>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">There's been a breakthrough in the political deadlock over the replacement of Orkney's internal ferries. The Scottish Government is committing to a process to address the renewal of the fleet in a letter received by the Islands Council last night. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">There was no mention of Orkney's ferries in yesterday's Scottish Budget speech, but Deputy First Minister John Swinney has announced he is setting up a ferry taskforce with the local authority which will meet monthly from January. <span style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: inherit;"><a tabindex="-1" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: inherit;"></a></span>He wants it to wind up in September with the objective of moving the fleet renewal forward and delivering a solution which will feed into the next Scottish Budget, for 24/25. There's no promise of money or of taking responsibility for replacement away from the Islands Council. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">Speaking on Friday morning's Around Orkney, Council leader James Stockan welcomed what he called the most positive development yet in the long running struggle to replace the ageing inter-isles fleet. He said he's waiting to see the detail of how the taskforce will work, and he quoted a text he received from Mr Swinney last night which described this as a genuine constructive proposal which the Scottish Government will be taking forward. </div>
<p></p>
<p><br>
</p>
</body>
</html>