Chamber
Plenary, 16 Jun 2004
16 Jun 2004 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Transport
All the proposals that are set out on page 66 of the document, in relation to major transport infrastructure projects, have been budgeted for. The M74 proposal is part of our commitment to provide £3 billion of new investment for major projects in the period up to 2012. Clearly, that is without prejudice to the results of the inquiry, which will be submitted to me in due course.
It is for exactly the reason that Rosie Kane identifies in relation to the focus of previous spend on trunk roads and roads in general that we have, as I set out in the statement, shifted dramatically the level of expenditure on public transport. We have significantly increased our spending on public transport and it is clear that, in the balance of priorities, we are committed to public transport. However, there continues to be a need for investment in the completion of the trunk road network, the bypassing of key settlements and communities and the upgrading of the road network for safety and other—sometimes environmental and economic—reasons. We will continue to invest in roads.
We are determined to introduce a national concessionary fares scheme. The details of that will be announced in due course.
It is for exactly the reason that Rosie Kane identifies in relation to the focus of previous spend on trunk roads and roads in general that we have, as I set out in the statement, shifted dramatically the level of expenditure on public transport. We have significantly increased our spending on public transport and it is clear that, in the balance of priorities, we are committed to public transport. However, there continues to be a need for investment in the completion of the trunk road network, the bypassing of key settlements and communities and the upgrading of the road network for safety and other—sometimes environmental and economic—reasons. We will continue to invest in roads.
We are determined to introduce a national concessionary fares scheme. The details of that will be announced in due course.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
The next item of business is a statement by Nicol Stephen on the transport white paper, "Scotland's transport future". The minister will take questions at th...
The Minister for Transport (Nicol Stephen):
LD
I am publishing today the Executive's transport white paper, "Scotland's transport future". Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament information ce...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
The minister will now take questions. I have a long list on my screen of members who wish to speak, so I appeal for brevity from everyone who is selected.
Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the minister for the courtesy copies of his statement and the white paper. Scottish National Party members agree with much of what he said but, as is...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I cannot give reassurance on all those points, but I can guarantee that the new agency will be strong. We will seek to attract to the new agency skilled tran...
David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I thank the minister for alerting me to his statement. I have a short question. What will he do after the agency is set up? Is it not the minister's job to d...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
There will be a new agency—it will not be a new quango—and, as an agency, it will be directly accountable to ministers. We need the new agency and the skills...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD):
LD
I have a couple of quick questions about the statement, which I welcome. First, will the minister give an assurance that the regional partnerships will genui...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
The central purpose of the new transport agency is to speed up delivery and to make delivery more effective—all my efforts will be focused on achieving that....
Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green):
Green
I have three short questions to ask the minister. First, how will the statutory body that will replace SPT ensure integrated public transport? Secondly, how ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
No speeches, please. You have asked your questions; let us move on.
Chris Ballance:
Green
Okay. Thank you. How will the Executive's strategy deliver that without interim targets?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
Three short answers, minister.
Nicol Stephen:
LD
SPT and its powers will be transferred into the new, strong west of Scotland regional transport authority, which, for the first time, will be able to deliver...
Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
I thank the minister for his statement. I, too, have three questions. First, will he set aside any funding that is in the transport budget for the constructi...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
All the proposals that are set out on page 66 of the document, in relation to major transport infrastructure projects, have been budgeted for. The M74 propos...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the minister's announcement about the toll bridges review group. Along with Trish Godman and Des McNulty, I hope that he will encourage the group t...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
Those will be key considerations for us in relation to the bridges review.
Jackie Baillie:
Lab
Yes or no?
Nicol Stephen:
LD
The short answer is yes. There are, however, issues to do with the cost of the maintenance of our bridges and, as I said in my statement, we have to consider...
Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP):
SNP
I have two questions for the minister. The first relates to the ability of the new local partnerships to requisition core funding from rate support grant. In...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
The new regional transport partnerships are clearly not joint boards and will be established by separate legislation. We are building on the current regional...
Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the minister's acknowledgement of the great achievements of SPT and hope sincerely that arrangements following the review will not disrupt its good...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I hope that the new regional transport partnerships will be strong and appropriate in all parts of Scotland. The new partnerships will have an opportunity to...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con):
Con
How will airport development fit into the strategy? In particular, will the strategy support the continuing growth of Prestwick airport? Will the minister as...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
Air travel is one area in which certain responsibilities are reserved and certain responsibilities are devolved. Through the planning system, our investment ...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab):
Lab
What benefits will the new transport agency bring to bus services for Scotland's communities? Will the agency have the powers to address the deficiency in bu...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I agree that there continue to be problems, especially in some rural communities and in relation to weekend and evening services. We hoped that the Transport...
John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP):
SSCUP
Will the minister look at the problem that I have raised before about senior citizens going from A to B—from Edinburgh to Glasgow, or vice versa, for example...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
John Swinburne describes exactly why we need to move to a national scheme. The problems that he mentioned occur—I do not approve of them and they need to sto...