Chamber
Plenary, 08 Sep 2004
08 Sep 2004 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Scottish Executive's Programme
It is a great privilege to take part in the first debate in this building. I congratulate all those whose hard labours have made the building possible and who have contributed to the building work.
I will respond to the speech that the Minister for Transport made yesterday. Although he identified the Executive's past failures, I believe that the programme for government over the next year will not deliver the policies that are necessary to address those failures. Over the past day, we have heard how the Executive programme is well meaning at heart. Nonetheless, I believe that it is confused and contradictory in relation to delivery, like the party to which the Minister for Transport belongs—the Lib Dems—which supports congestion charging as a way forward but opposes it when it is suggested for Edinburgh.
In the transport white paper, the Executive states:
"The transport vision of previous governments was too often dominated by the private car."
It informs us that 74 per cent of single pensioners have no access to a car. The paper continues:
"The cost of motoring has steadily declined in real terms over the past 20 years while the cost of rail and bus fares has increased."
It further states that
"a third of drivers say they would like to use their cars less".
So what is the answer? Social justice and social inclusion demand a strategy to reduce road traffic and improve public transport. The Executive even accepts road traffic reduction as a goal, but it refuses to set meaningful targets or to make public a clear strategy. The proposed transport bill—which was outlined yesterday by the First Minister and Nicol Stephen—will be a missed opportunity. It will contain no meaningful targets and no clear strategy for dealing with the real problem of too much road traffic. Will the proposed national agency be tasked to deliver road traffic reduction targets, or will the current levels of road traffic continue to rise inexorably, as they have done over the past 10 years? Traffic volume has increased by 18 per cent, whereas the number of bus journeys is down by 16 per cent. Where is the strategy to reverse that? Will the agency be more than just someone for the Executive to blame its failure to deliver on?
The bill will establish regional transport partnerships with no reference to the sustainability agenda or the social justice agenda. Why are sustainability and social justice omitted yet again? As for democracy, the new regional partnerships will have only one councillor from each local authority and will have no opposition or minority voice. One third of places will be reserved for chambers of commerce and other business representatives. Where will the social justice voice in regional transport planning be?
What about the one decision that is necessary for strategic development of our bus services in towns—the decision to re-regulate bus services? That is another lost opportunity in the forthcoming bill. Just as there has been a failure even to mention the community right of appeal in planning, so there has been a failure to mention planning to reduce the need for travel. Also absent from the proposals are out-of-town centralised supermarkets and hospitals—which we have just heard about—and other centralised developments, as well as local procurement to regenerate local communities and measures to reduce food miles travelled. Transport policy must address the real need: social inclusion to create better communities and a better environment for Scotland.
Instead, we have an admission that, despite all the fine words, we are—I quote the white paper again—
"also spending more on … roads",
as in the M74, the M8, the M80, the M77, a second Kincardine bridge and the Aberdeen peripheral route. That is a spaghetti-junction solution throughout Scotland. Those unwieldy ribbons of new roads will produce worse congestion year on year, as have the roads that were built in the past. The failed road-building dream goes on and on and, under the legislative programme, so will our present traffic chaos and Scotland's second-rate public transport system.
Finally, the First Minister yesterday completely failed to mention climate change, which is accepted scientific reality—we have seen some of its results this summer. We must prepare for and take action against climate change and, most important, we must take action to reduce its causes. I heard nothing of that in the First Minister's statement and that is another missed opportunity.
I will respond to the speech that the Minister for Transport made yesterday. Although he identified the Executive's past failures, I believe that the programme for government over the next year will not deliver the policies that are necessary to address those failures. Over the past day, we have heard how the Executive programme is well meaning at heart. Nonetheless, I believe that it is confused and contradictory in relation to delivery, like the party to which the Minister for Transport belongs—the Lib Dems—which supports congestion charging as a way forward but opposes it when it is suggested for Edinburgh.
In the transport white paper, the Executive states:
"The transport vision of previous governments was too often dominated by the private car."
It informs us that 74 per cent of single pensioners have no access to a car. The paper continues:
"The cost of motoring has steadily declined in real terms over the past 20 years while the cost of rail and bus fares has increased."
It further states that
"a third of drivers say they would like to use their cars less".
So what is the answer? Social justice and social inclusion demand a strategy to reduce road traffic and improve public transport. The Executive even accepts road traffic reduction as a goal, but it refuses to set meaningful targets or to make public a clear strategy. The proposed transport bill—which was outlined yesterday by the First Minister and Nicol Stephen—will be a missed opportunity. It will contain no meaningful targets and no clear strategy for dealing with the real problem of too much road traffic. Will the proposed national agency be tasked to deliver road traffic reduction targets, or will the current levels of road traffic continue to rise inexorably, as they have done over the past 10 years? Traffic volume has increased by 18 per cent, whereas the number of bus journeys is down by 16 per cent. Where is the strategy to reverse that? Will the agency be more than just someone for the Executive to blame its failure to deliver on?
The bill will establish regional transport partnerships with no reference to the sustainability agenda or the social justice agenda. Why are sustainability and social justice omitted yet again? As for democracy, the new regional partnerships will have only one councillor from each local authority and will have no opposition or minority voice. One third of places will be reserved for chambers of commerce and other business representatives. Where will the social justice voice in regional transport planning be?
What about the one decision that is necessary for strategic development of our bus services in towns—the decision to re-regulate bus services? That is another lost opportunity in the forthcoming bill. Just as there has been a failure even to mention the community right of appeal in planning, so there has been a failure to mention planning to reduce the need for travel. Also absent from the proposals are out-of-town centralised supermarkets and hospitals—which we have just heard about—and other centralised developments, as well as local procurement to regenerate local communities and measures to reduce food miles travelled. Transport policy must address the real need: social inclusion to create better communities and a better environment for Scotland.
Instead, we have an admission that, despite all the fine words, we are—I quote the white paper again—
"also spending more on … roads",
as in the M74, the M8, the M80, the M77, a second Kincardine bridge and the Aberdeen peripheral route. That is a spaghetti-junction solution throughout Scotland. Those unwieldy ribbons of new roads will produce worse congestion year on year, as have the roads that were built in the past. The failed road-building dream goes on and on and, under the legislative programme, so will our present traffic chaos and Scotland's second-rate public transport system.
Finally, the First Minister yesterday completely failed to mention climate change, which is accepted scientific reality—we have seen some of its results this summer. We must prepare for and take action against climate change and, most important, we must take action to reduce its causes. I heard nothing of that in the First Minister's statement and that is another missed opportunity.
In the same item of business
Resumed debate.
The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
NPA
The next item of business is continuation of the debate on the First Minister's statement on the Scottish Executive's programme. Members who wish to contribu...
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con):
Con
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Some members who wish to contribute to the debate do not yet have a voting card. Will that be borne in mind?
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
We will try to sort that out as quickly as possible, Mr Aitken.
The Minister for Justice (Cathy Jamieson):
Lab
I am delighted to have the opportunity to open this morning's debate in this magnificent debating chamber. As one who spent several years as a student at Gla...
Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
The minister has just said that we have the lowest crime rate in 25 years, but can she explain why the fear of crime is rising?
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
Mr Rumbles has highlighted exactly the point that I am making. If people see graffiti, vandalism and disorder in their communities week after week, month aft...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I would like to move on.
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab):
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I give way to Johann Lamont.
Johann Lamont:
Lab
It would be a bad start to this debate to suggest that people in communities who are raising such issues are imagining them. There are issues to do with unre...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
That is absolutely right, and the Executive took the experiences of people in those communities seriously. That is why we have tackled antisocial behaviour a...
Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I really need to move on.Protecting children must be a priority. That is why we shall seek the swift introduction of bills on the protection of children from...
Mr Swinney:
SNP
I did not notice any commitment in the legislative programme to introduce legislation to enact the recommendations of the Justice 1 Committee in the previous...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
That matter was on the agenda when I met the Law Society of Scotland earlier this week. Mr Swinney is probably aware from correspondence that I sent to him p...
Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Our justice system exists to serve the interests of the people of Scotland and reforms that ensure that it is more responsive to the needs and views of the p...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
On that point, Mr Matheson.
Michael Matheson:
SNP
Let me continue. The Executive's commitment to deal with the number of female prisoners in Scotland was made back in 1999 by Henry McLeish—remember him?—who ...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
Does Mr Matheson recognise, and indeed welcome, the fact that we are currently spending more than £1 million a week in equivalent sums to upgrade our prison ...
Michael Matheson:
SNP
Rather than make another speech, the minister should recognise that she had the chance to deal with the issue the first time round. I wish to point out that ...
Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I have listened to the minister and I recognise that, as has been mentioned, the Executive has been presiding over law and order in Scotland for five years, ...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I hope that Miss Goldie accepts that, in the consultation paper produced on the issue, the Executive recognised that marriage has a special place for many Sc...
Miss Goldie:
Con
In nothing I have said have I impugned the Executive's genuine attempts to deal with other relationships, but I am deeply concerned that the Executive is not...
Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP):
SNP
Is there a safe way to smoke?
Miss Goldie:
Con
I do not smoke, and in my opinion there is probably not a safe way to smoke. However, the fact is that tobacco is a legal substance and while we are being to...
The Deputy Minister for Justice (Hugh Henry):
Lab
Will the member give way?
Miss Goldie:
Con
I am running out of time and want to draw my remarks to a close.On policing, one of the most obvious frustrations that I hear mentioned by constituents relat...
Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
We have all waited a long time—and spent a great deal of money—for Enric Miralles's dream to become reality. Standing here today, I think that only the churl...