Ministers have been told that they must prepare a long-term strategy to deliver a modern, efficient and responsive ferry network capable of meeting the needs of remote and fragile communities in the 21st century.

The Scottish Government is embarking on its own review of ferry services and the European Commission is already investigating the subsidising of Scottish ferries. But a report, published yesterday by Holyrood's transport committee identifies a series of short-term improvements to ferry services which should be taken forward immediately.

These include: adjusting timetables to better meet the needs of ferry users; greater co-ordination between ferry, train and bus operators; promoting more effective consultation of ferry users by operators; improving accessibility of ferries and landing areas for disabled people; and improving ferry operators' standards of customer service.

The committee also made a number of recommendations for the government's ferries review, including looking at faster and more fuel efficient vessels.