Hansard

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome the press and public to the first joint meeting this year of the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill Committee and the Edinburgh Tram (Line Two) Bill Committee. I have apologies from Jamie Stone, who—sadly—cannot be with us as he is attending a funeral. Under rule 9A.5.6 of standing orders, that has procedural implications for the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill Committee, which it can consider at its next meeting.Consideration stage—the current stage—involves the committees considering the detail of the bills. Our job is to listen to the arguments of the promoter and objectors and ultimately to decide between any competing claims. Both committees consider that task to be serious.I record both committees' thanks to objectors, the promoter and all witnesses for their written evidence, which will be invaluable as we consider oral evidence today. I welcome to the meeting all those who will give evidence today. The committees will hear evidence on seven objections that are identical to both bills. The joint objectors attended a timetabling meeting in May at which the procedure for taking oral evidence was explained and the order for evidence taking was agreed.For each objection, the committees will hear first from all the witnesses for the promoter and then from all the witnesses for the objector. The promoter and lead objectors have also brought representatives who will question their respective witnesses and cross-examine the other side. For three objectors, the promoter has proposed the same five witnesses on route selection. Each objector will cross-examine those five witnesses in turn.Following completion of each group's oral evidence, the committees will give the promoter's representative a maximum of five minutes to make closing comments. The committees will then give the objector's representative five minutes to make any closing comments. I stress that such closing statements should introduce no new issues or evidence.The committees intend to complete evidence taking from seven groups today. For ease of reference, I will use the group numbering that was assigned for the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill. We have the written evidence—witness statements and rebuttals—and copies of the background documents to which that evidence refers, so I remind all witnesses that they must not repeat points that have been made in written evidence, unless they are required to answer questions directly. I stress that we have all the written evidence and that it will all be taken into consideration when we reach a decision.The committees are well aware that this is the first time that oral evidence has been taken on either bill at consideration stage. I am sure that all parties would welcome clearness and brevity in questions and answers.The committees wish to be fair to both the promoter and the objectors. Of course, this is not a court of law and the committees will conduct their proceedings more informally. The procedures that we will follow will have some flexibility to take account of the backgrounds of witnesses and their representatives. The committees expect all parties to respect one another and the committees, although I am sure that no problem will arise with that.The public are welcome to watch our proceedings. They may leave the meeting at any time, but I ask them to do so quietly, please. The meeting is being held in public, but it is not a public meeting. It is part of the Parliament's formal work, so I would appreciate the co-operation of the public in ensuring the proper conduct of business.I will touch on other matters before we hear oral evidence. As some will be aware, the City of Edinburgh Council agreed on 2 June to recommend to the committees some realignments to the proposed tram routes outwith the limits of deviation. One of those realignments relates to the Haymarket Yards area. I remind all present that neither committee has considered whether the promoter's proposed alternative route has merit. If the committees agree that there is merit in examining the promoter's suggested alternative alignment, they will be obliged to seek the views of all those who could be affected. Those could include existing objectors, who might have new grounds of objection, and prospective new objectors, such as those who did not object to the bills but whom the proposed changes might affect.Only when each committee reports separately at the end of phase 1 of consideration stage will its decision on the most suitable alignment in that area be publicly known. Such a recommendation will be made on the basis of evidence that the committees receive from objectors and the promoter. Today's meeting is necessary for the committees to take oral evidence on the outstanding objections to the current proposed route at Haymarket.I remind all present that all evidence must relate to the original objections, which were to the alignment that is proposed in the bills. To assist members in considering some of the objections, copies of the four alternative route alignments have been provided, together with a map of the area.Members may have observed that some witness statements refer only to the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Bill, but I make it clear that all the written evidence that has been provided for the meeting is relevant to both bills.It has been brought to the attention of both committees' conveners that some of the documentation to which witness statements and rebuttal statements refer was supplied after the deadline for submitting written material. As I am sure the objectors and promoter will acknowledge, delays in providing written material may impact on the work of the committees and on the ability of the objectors and the promoter to participate in proceedings. I put it on the record that that situation will not be tolerated in the future. The objectors and the promoter should meet the deadlines that the committees have agreed.I ask that everyone ensures that their mobile phones and pagers are switched off.We now move to consideration of evidence on group 5 objections, from Haymarket Yards Ltd. The first four witnesses for the promoter on group 5 are Gary Turner, Archie Rintoul, Andrew Oldfield and Rahul Bijlani. Before we commence evidence taking, the witnesses will individually take the oath or make solemn affirmation.Gary Turner, Archibald Rintoul and Andrew Oldfield took the oath.Rahul Bijlani made a solemn affirmation.