ANYONE who has ever had the good fortune to consume a mac and cheese on a CalMac ferry can attest to how good they are, even in a Force 9 mid-Minch.

Their full cooked breakfasts are pretty good as indeed are the homemade soups and all served by dedicated and friendly staff.

It is fair to say the fare in the vessel’s canteens is the only thing that has been reliable on the network of late, given the raw hand the staff have been dealt by those much higher up the food chain.

The staff have done a pretty remarkable job to keep the services running as normal as possible, given most of the fleet is rusting away.

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Hopefully, five new vessels will soon join the much overdue MV Glen Sannox in entering service soon and give the network much-needed help.

But what will CalMac look like when the last of the vessels is delivered from Turkey after competition watchdogs raised concerns about ministers’ refusal to privatise the routes?

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has asked ministers to clearly explain how this will result in better value for the taxpayer, with running costs set to treble.

It is estimated that the subsidy for the running of more than 30 ferry routes over a new 10-year period is set to soar to £370million a year from just over £120m a year in the last eight-year contract.

Ministers have now been told that they should better........

© Herald Scotland