Services have been affected by increasing costs for operating and replacing ships and port facilities, as well as cuts in public spending. Costs of maintaining and operating the ferries could reach £2 billion over the next 12 years.

But next Thursday, officials from the Scottish Ferries Review plan to visit Rothesay to ask residents for input on the future operation of the country's ferry network.

The review team will present a consultation document at a public meeting in the Pavilion on Thursday, July 22, starting at 7pm.

Issues to consider include the setting of fares, how ferries should be funded and procured, and the question of which services should be supported by public money and who should provide these services.

The Scottish Government has estimated that £604 million will be needed for new vessels between now and 2022, along with £180m for port and harbour replacements.

In addition, the maintenance of existing ports and harbours is expected to cost £7.5 million a year for the next 12 years.

On top of that is the public subsidy needed to operate the services. This sum totalled about £90 million in 2008-9 for the David MacBrayne group, which includes Caledonian MacBrayne and Northlink.

A similar sum spent over each of the next 12 years would add another £1 billion to the overall cost of the country's ferry routes.

Local councillor Len Scoullar told The Buteman: "The review poses all the questions that we all knew existed, but it doesn't give any answers.

"These are questions we all should be worried about. I don't know where the government is going to find the money it needs to support these lifeline ferries.

"I would encourage everyone who is interested in ferry services — and on an island we all must be interested to some extent — to come along and hear what the review team has to say."

The review was a commitment within the Scottish Government's 2006 national transport strategy, and will inform the preparation of a long-term plan for lifeline ferry services to be in place until 2022.

Officials working on the review are also visiting Islay and Jura this week to speak with other islanders.