Chamber
Plenary, 22 Dec 2004
22 Dec 2004 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Concessionary Fares
I warmly welcome today's announcement. In a week when there has been a bit of knocking copy about the Scottish Parliament, this perhaps begins to redress the balance. I am sure that there was an oversight on the minister's part in regard to questions from Fergus Ewing, but will the minister tell us what studies have been undertaken into the impact that the scheme will have on rail travel in Scotland? Will he also let us know what the cost might be of the introduction of the smart card? It is not just the cards themselves, but the machinery that will be required on buses and so on. The scheme will be introduced in April 2006, when I will be only eight years away from qualifying, and I am very much encouraged by that.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Nicol Stephen on concessionary fares. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement and there shou...
The Minister for Transport (Nicol Stephen):
LD
Presiding Officer, with your permission I will make a statement about concessionary bus travel for older and disabled people.The partnership agreement commit...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in his statement. I will allow about 20 minutes for that. Members who wish to ask a question should...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
On behalf of the Scottish National Party, I warmly welcome the minister's announcement. I say that not just because of the impending festive season but becau...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
It is fair to say that Fergus Ewing's critical support is renowned across Scotland, particularly in relation to transport debates. I warmly welcome his suppo...
David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I always welcome good news, but I am sure that the minister agrees with his Liberal Democrat colleague on Dumfries and Galloway Council, Councillor Joan Mitc...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
Given the collapse of bus services throughout Scotland during the stewardship of Conservative Governments, with a decline every year in bus passenger numbers...
Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab):
Lab
Coalition members are delighted to join Opposition members who have seen the light in welcoming the extension of the scheme, particularly the removal of earl...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
The short answer is no, I am not sufficiently confident at present that the scheme is as fraud free as it should be, which is partly due to the fact that we ...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD):
LD
I thank the minister for his statement. Our colleague John Farquhar Munro thinks that all his Christmases have come at once this week, with yesterday's annou...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
It is important that the scheme leads to improvement in services and investment in new vehicles and that it gives a fair and appropriate return to bus operat...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
I ask for shorter questions and answers from now on.
John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP):
SSCUP
Does the minister agree that, while his statement will be widely welcomed by senior citizens, further resources will be required to ensure that every senior ...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
There must be a question, Mr Swinburne.
John Swinburne:
SSCUP
I am delighted that measures will be employed to prevent the abuse of this excellent scheme by unscrupulous operators who at present are recompensed for carr...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
Question.
John Swinburne:
SSCUP
On behalf of all those whose lives will be greatly enhanced by the excellent scheme, I congratulate the minister and the Executive, but I ask the minister to...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I will consider the issue that John Swinburne raises, but I emphasise that the scheme will be available to all elderly people and disabled people in Scotland...
Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the announcement, which delivers a key pledge from the 2003 Labour manifesto and the partnership agreement, but I have two brief questions. First, ...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
The short answer to the second question is that that is the intended implementation date. We are doing further work on the scheme for young people, which is ...
Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
I warmly welcome today's announcement. In a week when there has been a bit of knocking copy about the Scottish Parliament, this perhaps begins to redress the...
The Minister for Health and Community Care (Mr Andy Kerr):
Lab
Is that all?
Bruce Crawford:
SNP
That is all—it is a shock. Maybe it will encourage other MSPs of an elderly age to use public transport and keep costs down.
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I thank Bruce Crawford for that, and I apologise for missing a couple of Fergus Ewing's points. The cost of the smart-card scheme is subject to further discu...
Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab):
Lab
I would like to say to the minister, to his colleagues, to the Executive and to the civil servants: "Fandabidozi!" The announcement that the minister has mad...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I can amplify how I will address that. We want to continue to fund and to expand demand-responsive schemes, as they are called by the profession—I am not sur...
Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
The minister has announced a huge subsidy by taxpayers to private—yes, private—bus companies and called it an investment. Can he tell me why the Executive be...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
That is well off the point, Mr Monteith. There is no need for a ministerial reply to that.
Mr Monteith:
Con
On the point about the smart card, will the minister rule out its being used in any way at a later date as part of the identity card proposed in another place?
Nicol Stephen:
LD
Brian Monteith is engaged in a desperate attempt to try to turn the scheme into a negative or party-political issue. I am deeply disappointed by that, becaus...