Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 13 January 2011
13 Jan 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Freight Facilities Grants
I congratulate my colleague Cathy Jamieson on bringing to the chamber a debate that is at once important and very topical.
At the December 7 meeting of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, I pressed the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, on the proposal in next year’s draft budget to close the freight facilities grant to new applications. The cabinet secretary pointed to a trend in recent years of a lack of draw-down of the grants that are available.
To what can that lack of successful applications be attributed? Operators in the freight transport industry have told me that they found some of the scheme rules a bit bureaucratic and that some applications were falling at various hurdles. The cabinet secretary took the view that some applications were falling foul of state aid rules, but we do not have more information on that point at the moment. There might well be merit in both of those contentions.
If there were no applications in the pipeline and given the severe budget pressures, there could be a financial case for the Government to say that, since no one is applying for the grant, it would not be wrong to use the money for something else and to close the scheme to new applications. However, Cathy Jamieson pointed out a scheme in the making that would have the benefit of eliminating 4,000 lorry journeys, Professor Harvie alluded to an example in Fife that has the potential to eliminate 13,000 lorry journeys and Alison McInnes alluded to another potential scheme that could account for 2,360 lorry journeys. Then there is the example of the John G Russell, Ferguson Transport and BSW sawmilling facility at Corpach, which has the potential to eliminate up to 5,000 lorry journeys, and of course the Highland Spring proposal in relation to Blackford, with the potential benefit of the removal of up to 10,000 lorry journeys.
The problem with stopping new applications at this stage is that this year, arguably unlike other years, there seems to be quite a lot in the pipeline. Therefore, we must look again at the proposal and say that this is perhaps not the year to eliminate new applications for freight facilities grants.
As other members have made clear, there are obvious climate change benefits in schemes of this nature; as Alison McInnes importantly made clear, there are obvious road safety benefits; but above all, there are jobs benefits, for both the retention of existing jobs and, crucially, the potential to create new ones. This evening’s debate—unlike, perhaps, some members’ business debates—should not result in just a bit of local propaganda. It points the way forward for the Parliament, in further consideration of next year’s draft budget to look again at the whole idea.
At the December 7 meeting of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, I pressed the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, on the proposal in next year’s draft budget to close the freight facilities grant to new applications. The cabinet secretary pointed to a trend in recent years of a lack of draw-down of the grants that are available.
To what can that lack of successful applications be attributed? Operators in the freight transport industry have told me that they found some of the scheme rules a bit bureaucratic and that some applications were falling at various hurdles. The cabinet secretary took the view that some applications were falling foul of state aid rules, but we do not have more information on that point at the moment. There might well be merit in both of those contentions.
If there were no applications in the pipeline and given the severe budget pressures, there could be a financial case for the Government to say that, since no one is applying for the grant, it would not be wrong to use the money for something else and to close the scheme to new applications. However, Cathy Jamieson pointed out a scheme in the making that would have the benefit of eliminating 4,000 lorry journeys, Professor Harvie alluded to an example in Fife that has the potential to eliminate 13,000 lorry journeys and Alison McInnes alluded to another potential scheme that could account for 2,360 lorry journeys. Then there is the example of the John G Russell, Ferguson Transport and BSW sawmilling facility at Corpach, which has the potential to eliminate up to 5,000 lorry journeys, and of course the Highland Spring proposal in relation to Blackford, with the potential benefit of the removal of up to 10,000 lorry journeys.
The problem with stopping new applications at this stage is that this year, arguably unlike other years, there seems to be quite a lot in the pipeline. Therefore, we must look again at the proposal and say that this is perhaps not the year to eliminate new applications for freight facilities grants.
As other members have made clear, there are obvious climate change benefits in schemes of this nature; as Alison McInnes importantly made clear, there are obvious road safety benefits; but above all, there are jobs benefits, for both the retention of existing jobs and, crucially, the potential to create new ones. This evening’s debate—unlike, perhaps, some members’ business debates—should not result in just a bit of local propaganda. It points the way forward for the Parliament, in further consideration of next year’s draft budget to look again at the whole idea.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S3M-7567, in the name of Cathy Jamieson, on freight facilities grants. The debate wi...
Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab)
Lab
I thank members, particularly those who have stayed for the debate, for their support for the motion, which has helped it to be selected for debate. I also t...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We come to the open debate. I ask for speeches of four minutes. The debate is oversubscribed, so I will stop members when they get to the four-minute mark.17:18
Christopher Harvie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate Cathy Jamieson on the motion and her eloquent presentation of it. I also declare an interest as the honorary president of the Scottish Associa...
Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab)
Lab
I begin by congratulating Cathy Jamieson on securing the debate and providing members with the opportunity to highlight the short-sightedness of the Scottish...
The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (Keith Brown)
SNP
Would the member like to address the impact of the £800 million cut in this year’s capital budget? If Cathy Jamieson can describe the reduction of the freigh...
Michael McMahon
Lab
The minister makes a clever argument, but he can see the importance of his strategy—I will come on to that later—and he is undermining his position rather th...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con)
Con
I congratulate Cathy Jamieson on securing the debate, which is relevant to Ayrshire and South Ayrshire, in particular, which we both represent. The freight f...
Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in this evening’s debate and I congratulate my colleague, Cathy Jamieson, on securing a members’ business debate on this i...
Keith Brown
SNP
Does the member think that the decision of the Labour Government to scrap the scheme five years ago and the fact that it spent less money in five years in En...
Karen Whitefield
Lab
We are talking about Scotland, and the minister is responsible for the situation in Scotland. Labour Party members criticise their party when they need to. W...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
I congratulate Cathy Jamieson on securing this debate, which provides us with an opportunity to discuss not only the future of the freight facilities grant b...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab)
Lab
I congratulate my colleague Cathy Jamieson on bringing to the chamber a debate that is at once important and very topical.At the December 7 meeting of the Tr...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
At this point, I would be prepared to accept a motion without notice to extend the debate by 10 minutes to complete the business. I ask Cathy Jamieson to so ...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I add my thanks and congratulations to Cathy Jamieson for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate. I was happy to sign up to it almost as soon as it wa...
Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank Cathy Jamieson for the opportunity to debate this important issue. I also thank her for alerting me to something that I had overlooked complete...
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, congratulate Cathy Jamieson on securing the debate. I welcome the new Minister for Transport and Infrastructure to his post. I want to tell him a lit...
The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (Keith Brown)
SNP
Like other members, I congratulate Cathy Jamieson on securing the debate. I think that it was Aneurin Bevan who said that politics is the language of priorit...
Hugh Henry
Lab
The minister highlights a mistaken decision by Westminster-based politicians and a very correct decision made by ministers of the same party in Scotland.
Keith Brown
SNP
I acknowledge and welcome that intervention, but what has changed is the financial situation. I think that Hugh Henry would go on to say that that is the rea...
Michael McMahon
Lab
Is the minister not missing the point? The freight facilities grants scheme in Scotland was much more flexible and operated in an entirely different way from...
Keith Brown
SNP
Power is one thing, but resources are another. It would be useful if the member would acknowledge, even for one second, the disastrous effects of Labour’s ha...
Patrick Harvie
Green
Will the minister give way?
Keith Brown
SNP
I am sorry, but I have to make some progress.The new hospital in Glasgow is another project that will take a huge chunk out of a capital budget that has been...
Cathy Jamieson
Lab
Will the minister give way?
Keith Brown
SNP
I have to make some progress. We have concluded that we cannot fund new FFG projects for the time being. We have allocated £2.9 million to support the freigh...
Cathy Jamieson
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
Although I have already taken two interventions and do not have much time left, I will take the member’s intervention provided that she is very brief.
Cathy Jamieson
Lab
Almost six minutes into his speech, I am glad that the minister has mentioned the Grangestone railhead. His predecessor was supportive of the project, on whi...
Keith Brown
SNP
I have been trying to deal with that subject. Cathy Jamieson made the point in her speech that the FFG scheme is suspended, from which I think she took some ...