Appointments to David MacBrayne Ltd

Two new members have been appointed to the board of David MacBrayne Ltd.

Both of these new three year appointments are effective from January 1, 2008 are part-time and attract a remuneration of £7,175 p.a. for a minimum time commitment of two days per month.

The new members are:

Dr Robert Sinclair lives in Aberdeenshire and since August 2000 has been the Principal of Banff and Buchan College of Further Education. He has also worked as a Master Mariner with BUE Offshore Vessels and Treasure Petroleum Services and as Principal of the North Atlantic Fisheries College in Scalloway. He is also on the Board of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

Mr Norman Quirk lives in Aberfoyle and as a Chartered Accountant he is a former Managing Director of SAGA Radio, having previously worked in senior management for several other radio stations in Scotland. He is also the Chair of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, President of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and President of the Glasgow Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Announcing the appointments, Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson said

"I am delighted to announce the appointments of Robert Sinclair and Norman Quirk to the Board of David MacBrayne Ltd. Both men bring with them a wealth of experience which will not only benefit the company, but also importantly the many passengers and businesses who rely on our vital ferry services.

"The Scottish Government is committed to improving Scotland's lifeline ferry services. These new appointments to David MacBrayne Ltd will help CalMac and NorthLink to deliver on that commitment."

David MacBrayne Ltd is wholly owned by Scottish Ministers and is the group holding for CalMac Ferries Ltd and three other ferry operating subsidiaries, NorthLink Ferries Ltd, Cowal Ferries Ltd and Rathlin Ferries Ltd. It is expected that both of the new appointees will be appointed by David MacBrayne Ltd to the Boards of one or more of these subsidiaries.

CalMac Ferries Ltd currently provides the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services through the new public service contract which started on October 1, 2007. NorthLink provides the Northern Isles ferry services through a contract which started on July 6, 2006. Cowal Ferries Ltd operates the Gourock-Dunoon service and Rathlin Ferries Ltd operates the Ballycastle-Rathlin Island service in Northern Ireland.

These Ministerial public appointments were made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland's Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Neither person declared any political activity.