EDIT: Following our statement this morning, we received a reponse this evening from Robbie McGhee, Deputy Director of Digital Connectivity at the Scottish Government. It’s good to know that things are moving forward, and we plan to set up a call in the next few days. We’ll keep you as updated as we can.
“I wanted to get in touch after reading the statement the Trust posted earlier today. I head up the Digital Connectivity Division in the Scottish Government and I’m really sorry to hear how strongly the community feels about the lack of visible communication from us during what’s clearly been a very difficult few weeks.
“My team and I hadn’t been copied into your earlier emails but I completely understand the frustration that people are feeling. I also wanted to reassure you that we’ve been working closely with Openreach since the cable break – both to support delivery of short-term connectivity solutions and to press for urgent progress on the subsea repair. The First Minister has written directly to Openreach’s CEO and received assurances that this work will remain a top priority. My team now has twice-weekly calls with Openreach to track progress and help remove any barriers – for example, this week we fast-tracked the marine permitting needed for the repair to go ahead as soon as possible.
“I recognise, though, that much of this has been behind the scenes stuff and that we should have done more to keep the community directly informed. The Trust plays a really important role on the island, and I’d very much like to work with you on improving how we share updates and information as things move forward.
“I’d be happy to arrange a short call with you or colleagues in the coming days to get your perspective on how the interim measures are working and to share the latest repair timelines.
“Apologies again that it took your statement to bring this to my attention. Definitely some lessons learned at our end but rest assured that we are doing all we can to expedite repairs and the reinstatement of services.
I hope this is helpful – and look forward to speaking soon.”
Tiree Residents Frustrated by Silence from Scottish Government
At a community meeting held on Monday the 20th of October, residents in Tiree expressed their disappointment at the complete lack of response or comment from the Scottish Government as they entered their third week of the island’s ongoing internet outage.
Directors of Tiree Community Development Trust asked for it to be formally minuted that the Scottish Government’s response has been woeful, despite repeated attempts to engage officials.
Rhoda Meek, Head of Communications at the Trust, explained that briefings have been sent almost daily – right up to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs – and that relevant civil servants have been included in all correspondence. To date, there has not been so much as an acknowledgement that the emails have been received.
The community extended its thanks to local MSP Jenni Minto and MP Brendan O’Hara, as well as local councillor Amanda Hampsey, for their ongoing support and efforts to facilitate meaningful discussions with the BT Group, which are now underway. Residents also expressed their appreciation for the swift response and hard work of the BT Resilience Team on the ground in Tiree, who have been instrumental in restoring limited connectivity across the island.
Almost three weeks on from the cable break, BT has now successfully connected both Tiree Primary and High School and the Care Home to Starlink, and have returned to the island this week with more powerful 4G routers for particularly vulnerable residents.
However, the vast majority of islanders remain offline, relying instead on limited community broadband links, patchy 4G or public Wi-Fi hotspots. Many residents are being forced to sit in their cars in heavy rain to access basic online services such as banking, healthcare, and communication with family.
Despite repeated public commitments that Scotland’s islands matter to the Scottish government, the deafening silence from ministers and officials has left many Tiree residents wondering whether their voices are being heard at all.
“We know that Tiree is seen as a welcoming and hospitable place to ‘get away from it all’ by many in the Scottish Government,” said Neil MacPhail, Chair of Tiree Community Development Trust. “It is extremely disappointing to realise that, once back in Edinburgh, they don’t consider Tiree’s troubles worth acknowledging.”
