Committee
Transport and the Environment Committee, 04 Oct 2000
04 Oct 2000 · S1 · Transport and the Environment Committee
Item of business
Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I thank the clerks for their assistance in preparing the wording of my amendment, which applies to the beginning of the bill, before section 1. The new section would provide a statutory basis for local transport strategies. It would impose a duty on local transport authorities to prepare and publish a local transport strategy, setting out their policies for the promotion of safe, integrated, efficient, accessible and environmentally sustainable transport facilities in their areas.
Fundamentally, the new section would impose a duty on each local transport authority—defined in section 76 of the bill as local authorities or the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority—to formulate transport policies and publish them as a local transport strategy. The policies would have to promote safe, integrated, efficient, accessible and environmentally sustainable transport and have particular regard to the needs of the elderly and people with mobility problems.
They would also have to provide a framework for, inter alia, the promotion of improvements to bus services under the powers in part 2 of the bill and the introduction of charging regimes under part 3. A further subsection provides that strategies would have to be kept under review and altered if necessary; in any event, they must last no longer than five years.
Importantly, the new section would exempt a local transport authority from the requirement to produce such a strategy if they had already—before the date when the section came into force—prepared a document in a form and manner equivalent to that required under the bill for local transport strategies. The intention is that people would not have to do things twice. That document would be treated as a local transport strategy, but would have to be replaced no later than 31 October 2005—five years from the closing date set by Scottish ministers for the submission of local transport strategies.
The new section would impose requirements for consultation during the preparation of local transport strategies and for the publication of strategies; authorities would be required to make copies available at no more than cost.
The section would require local transport authorities to have regard to guidance issued by Scottish ministers and to the needs of the elderly and people with mobility problems.
I shall turn to the argument for the proposed section. Local transport strategies are the means by which local authorities should set out their vision for improving public transport and tackling rising traffic levels. I call for those strategies to be made a compulsory requirement of local authorities. By leaving them as voluntary measures, the Scottish Executive will merely reinforce the view—taken by some at local government level—that tackling traffic problems is a medium priority.
In England, a provision for statutory local transport plans has been built into the Westminster Transport Bill. The Local Government Association, the English counterpart of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, has described local transport plans as the cornerstone of the integrated transport planning project, and has supported local transport plans being put on a statutory basis.
In Scotland, however, and without sufficient explanation in my view, there has been an acceptance of a voluntary approach for that important measure. The Executive has argued that a statutory basis for local transport strategies does not guarantee their quality. That much is true, but I feel that a statutory footing would make local authorities take more seriously their responsibilities regarding transport and protection of the environment. Measures for improving bus services, such as quality partnerships and quality contracts, may be put on a statutory footing, while local transport strategies—the glue that is meant to bind all authorities' policies together—remain completely voluntary. That inconsistency would be solved if the Executive accepted my amendment.
I move amendment 52.
Fundamentally, the new section would impose a duty on each local transport authority—defined in section 76 of the bill as local authorities or the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority—to formulate transport policies and publish them as a local transport strategy. The policies would have to promote safe, integrated, efficient, accessible and environmentally sustainable transport and have particular regard to the needs of the elderly and people with mobility problems.
They would also have to provide a framework for, inter alia, the promotion of improvements to bus services under the powers in part 2 of the bill and the introduction of charging regimes under part 3. A further subsection provides that strategies would have to be kept under review and altered if necessary; in any event, they must last no longer than five years.
Importantly, the new section would exempt a local transport authority from the requirement to produce such a strategy if they had already—before the date when the section came into force—prepared a document in a form and manner equivalent to that required under the bill for local transport strategies. The intention is that people would not have to do things twice. That document would be treated as a local transport strategy, but would have to be replaced no later than 31 October 2005—five years from the closing date set by Scottish ministers for the submission of local transport strategies.
The new section would impose requirements for consultation during the preparation of local transport strategies and for the publication of strategies; authorities would be required to make copies available at no more than cost.
The section would require local transport authorities to have regard to guidance issued by Scottish ministers and to the needs of the elderly and people with mobility problems.
I shall turn to the argument for the proposed section. Local transport strategies are the means by which local authorities should set out their vision for improving public transport and tackling rising traffic levels. I call for those strategies to be made a compulsory requirement of local authorities. By leaving them as voluntary measures, the Scottish Executive will merely reinforce the view—taken by some at local government level—that tackling traffic problems is a medium priority.
In England, a provision for statutory local transport plans has been built into the Westminster Transport Bill. The Local Government Association, the English counterpart of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, has described local transport plans as the cornerstone of the integrated transport planning project, and has supported local transport plans being put on a statutory basis.
In Scotland, however, and without sufficient explanation in my view, there has been an acceptance of a voluntary approach for that important measure. The Executive has argued that a statutory basis for local transport strategies does not guarantee their quality. That much is true, but I feel that a statutory footing would make local authorities take more seriously their responsibilities regarding transport and protection of the environment. Measures for improving bus services, such as quality partnerships and quality contracts, may be put on a statutory footing, while local transport strategies—the glue that is meant to bind all authorities' policies together—remain completely voluntary. That inconsistency would be solved if the Executive accepted my amendment.
I move amendment 52.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
While we are waiting for the minister, I will explain to members of the press and the public—and remind committee members—what we are about to do in this sta...
Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
I want to be sure that I have understood. I think you said that if a member's amendment is the first one in any given group, the member should move it at tha...
The Convener:
Lab
Yes, it is.We begin with amendment 52, which is in the name of Robin Harper and stands on its own.
Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green):
Green
I will explain amendment 52 and then move on to the arguments for it. I note a look of concern on the minister's face.
The Minister for Transport and the Environment (Sarah Boyack):
Lab
I thought that there would be opening remarks from me on this stage of the bill, but it is all right—we will come back to them.
The Convener:
Lab
We wrote to the minister about her making some opening remarks on how she sees the bill unrolling. As far as I am aware we received no response, so I did not...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
During the stage 1 debate in the Parliament, I was conscious that we were dealing with this at breakneck speed. Although I gave out some information as I wen...
The Convener:
Lab
I open the meeting to questions to the minister on any issue that will help our consideration of the bill.
Bruce Crawford:
SNP
Local authorities have a fund called the car park trading account, in which money derived from car parks is ring-fenced for car parks or traffic control. Wou...
Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
Who will administer the proposed extension of the freight facilities grant to coastal and short-sea shipping and from whose budget will it be funded?
The Convener:
Lab
Are there any other questions?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I want to answer those two questions before I lose the thread. I would be happy to explore Bruce Crawford's point in detail. We have talked about the provisi...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
In view of your comments on enhancing the powers of inspectors, are there any plans to extend fuel duty rebate to community buses, post buses and so on?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
That issue is similar to concessionary fares, in that we will consider how we want to implement the powers in the bill and shift the way in which we currentl...
Donald Gorrie:
LD
Will you clarify your policy on congestion charges? I may not have fully grasped the bit where you said that motorists driving through a city would not be in...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
Through traffic in Edinburgh uses the city bypass; it does not go through the city centre and along Princes Street. I am prepared to debate that in detail wh...
Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the work that the minister has done on concessionary fares and the possibility that the scheme might be expanded in future. Would that expansion ta...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
The power is general, so it gives us that flexibility. I want to be clear and to manage people's expectations about what our short-term priorities are. The p...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
That is helpful. I wanted to be clear about that. I appreciate the difficulties—
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I want to be clear about how I intend to use that enabling power in the short term.
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
One of the main transport issues that is raised at my surgery is transport to hospital facilities. Acute services reviews across the country will lead to maj...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
There are different ways to come at this. You have exposed one of the problems with the bus network—that it is historic. As individuals, we all fight tooth a...
The Convener:
Lab
There are no further questions, so I thank the minister for that overview of the bill. I advise members that the minister will not make such a statement at t...
Before section 1
The Convener:
Lab
I return to where we were, and invite Robin Harper to speak to amendment 52.
Robin Harper:
Green
I thank the clerks for their assistance in preparing the wording of my amendment, which applies to the beginning of the bill, before section 1. The new secti...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I do not think that there are any differences between us as far as the importance of local transport strategies is concerned. I would whole-heartedly sign up...
Donald Gorrie:
LD
I was not a member of the committee before, and I missed a previous discussion on the matter. However, I feel that I should support Robin Harper's amendment....
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
I have some sympathy with the amendment, but I do not know that it necessarily provides us with a solution. We seem to be mixing up two matters—the size of a...
Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab):
Lab
I agree with Kenny MacAskill, perhaps for the first time, about the need for trans-authority transport planning and about the problems of the present local a...