Committee
Local Government and Transport Committee, 10 May 2005
10 May 2005 · S2 · Local Government and Transport Committee
Item of business
Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I speak to the amendments in the group with some trepidation, given the discussion on amendment 1, in which members of the committee objected to lodging of amendments by non-members.TRANSform Scotland, which is the leading NGO for public transport providers and users in Scotland, asked me to lodge amendment 114. Although the amendment is long, it is fairly simple in that it would remedy what I suspect is an oversight in the bill. The bill will place regional transport strategies on a statutory footing, but local transport strategies will continue to be voluntary. However, local transport strategies are of greater importance for the vast majority of transport trips, because most transport trips are short and local. Statutory local transport strategies would be subject to environmental assessment, including strategic environmental assessment, and would have to meet the minimum requirement for public participation. The approach would not be particularly onerous for local authorities, given that all local authorities have already produced local transport strategies; it would merely place a responsibility on local authorities to produce and update their local transport strategies, just as there will be a responsibility to produce regional transport strategies. Indeed, it could be argued that the existence of a local transport strategy should be a precondition for receipt of Executive funding. The equivalent tool in England—the local transport plan—is a statutory requirement. I suspect that there was an oversight in the drafting of the bill and I trust that the committee will agree that it is important that local transport strategies should be on a statutory footing, as regional transport strategies will be.I move amendment 113.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
The main item of business today is stage 2 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill. I welcome the Minister for Transport, Nicol Stephen, and his officials, Jonathan...
Section 12—Transport functions of Scottish Ministers
The Convener:
Lab
Amendment 32, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 33 to 35.
The Minister for Transport (Nicol Stephen):
LD
I start by referring to the United Kingdom Railways Act 2005, which we have previously referred to as a bill, but which received royal assent on 7 April. Tha...
Amendment 32 agreed to.
The Convener:
Lab
Amendment 76, in the name of Michael McMahon, was debated with amendment 9.
Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab):
Lab
Given that we accepted at our last meeting that the wording in the bill is okay, I will not move the amendment.
Amendment 76 not moved.
Amendments 33 to 35 moved—Nicol Stephen—and agreed to.
Section 12, as amended, agreed to.
After section 12
Amendment 36 moved—Nicol Stephen—and agreed to.
Before section 13
The Convener:
Lab
Amendment 77, in the name of Michael McMahon, is in a group on its own.
Michael McMahon:
Lab
I will try to be as brief as possible, convener, in order to comply with your request. Amendment 77 was lodged because experience shows that we require to ta...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
Amendment 77 is useful and I hope that the minister will support it. There is a lot of worry, particularly among SPT staff, about the transfer of functions a...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
I support whole-heartedly the intention behind amendment 77 and I have no desire to see the bill inadvertently undermine any of the work that was undertaken ...
Michael McMahon:
Lab
I hoped that the minister would say that. He agrees to the principle and has said that the security that SPT and its employees seek will be delivered, so I s...
The Convener:
Lab
Michael McMahon has indicated his wish to withdraw amendment 77. Is that agreed?
Tommy Sheridan:
SSP
No.
The Convener:
Lab
The question is, that amendment 77 be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members:
No.
The Convener:
Lab
There will be a division.
ForSheridan, Tommy (Glasgow) (SSP)AgainstCrawford, Bruce (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)Davidson, Mr David (North East Scotland) (Con)Ewing, Fergus (Inverness ...
The Convener:
Lab
The result of the division is: For 1, Against 7, Abstentions 1.
Amendment 77 disagreed to.
Section 13—Transfer of staff, property and liabilities
The Convener:
Lab
Amendment 78, in the name of Michael McMahon, is grouped with amendments 79, 80, 37 and 38.
Michael McMahon:
Lab
Amendments 78, 79 and 80 were lodged to seek a guarantee that action will be taken to reassure people who currently operate within organisations such as SPT ...
Nicol Stephen:
LD
Amendments 37 and 38 are technical and seek to ensure that the usual legal formulation of property rights and liabilities is applied to cover every possible ...