Hansard

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Committee

23 Sep 2008

Petition

The committee should keep the issue open but, in a technical sense, we should close the petition. That strengthens the case rather than weakening it, because it means that a committee of the Parliament has taken it on and will subject it to scrutiny within a strategic context ...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Chamber

10 Dec 2009

Concessionary Travel Scheme

I welcome this opportunity to open the first parliamentary debate for five years devoted to concessionary travel.On 1 April 2006, the national concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled people, the product of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and secondary legislation ...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Chamber

12 Jan 2011

“Report on Low Carbon Scotland: The Draft Report on Proposals and Policies”

I congratulate the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee on the thoroughness of its inquiry into “Low Carbon Scotland: The Draft Report on Proposals and Policies”—which from here on in, like the minister, I will refer to as the RPP—and on the clarity of its re...

Mr Gordon: Lab Committee

06 Dec 2005

Pre and Post-council Scrutiny

We need to know more about the issue. The paper is cryptic, but it suggests that the carbon trading system will be extended to aviation. Does that mean that aviation enterprises in Scotland will be able to participate in carbon trading with enterprises outside Scotland, or doe...

Mr Gordon: Lab Committee

24 Oct 2006

Pre and Post-council Scrutiny

I am sorry, but I am hacked off because you have made me late for the Labour group meeting, so I will not support you.

Mr Gordon: Lab Committee

21 Nov 2006

Pre and Post-council Scrutiny

Hear, hear.

Mr Gordon: Lab Committee

18 Jan 2006

Current Petitions

John Scott is probably right. Sub-post office closures are regrettable, but they are not primarily the responsibility of the Scottish Executive. I have a great deal of sympathy with the petition, because I had a similar experience as a councillor only a year ago. Qualitative f...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I want to pursue further the issue of access to Glasgow airport in the context of GARL not happening. Ms McMillan, a few moments ago you referred to a 45-minute road journey into the city centre from your airport, and you mentioned congestion on the Kingston bridge. I infer th...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Presumably, the number of passengers that GARL would have accounted for must now be factored into the additional capacity issues for parts of the M8.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

The Scottish Government told MSPs that the cost of reproviding the aviation fuel farm at quarter four of 2004 prices was estimated to be £3 million and that BAA had input to the calculation of that figure. What was BAA's involvement in the calculation?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I see. So you do not recognise the £3 million figure at all.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

So you gave Transport Scotland purely technical information about how to relocate the fuel farm and what the specification would be, but you did not have any idea what the cost might be.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

When the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill received royal assent, the cost of GARL-related work at Glasgow airport was estimated at £7.8 million. What involvement did BAA have in the calculation of that figure?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I am not advocating a return to ring fencing, but I infer from what Mr Murray said about the bus route development grant, which was a three-year revenue facility that was disaggregated to local authorities, that that money has been spent by local authorities on other things—no...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

It was disaggregated so, in the time-honoured phrase, it is in there somewhere.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

At the risk of labouring the point, I return to the strategic transport projects review. Glasgow airport rail link has been cancelled, and there will probably be slippage in the delivery of existing capital infrastructure projects. The prioritisation of the new Forth crossing ...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

If they are all priorities, there are no priorities.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

27 Oct 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I will give you an answer after the meeting as well, convener.

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Before you decided to cancel GARL, did you consider any alternative sources or types of finance that might have kept the project going?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Under the Railways Act 2005, you have some influence over Network Rail's strategic investment priorities in Scotland.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

So you did consider keeping the project going via Network Rail. What made you conclude that it would not be possible? Was it those operational problems?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I presume that, having considered it in the first place, you saw that it would potentially give you more financial flexibility, given the situation in which you found yourself.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

So you thought that it was a possibility and you considered it, but you believed that there was a lack of certainty, and that prevented you from committing to that funding route.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

What about the possibility of asking local authorities that were major supporters of the Glasgow airport rail link project—I am thinking of Glasgow City Council and Renfrewshire Council, for example—to help with the financial difficulties and provide greater flexibility? In th...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Did you think about asking them to do that?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

It might have been a good idea to ask, cabinet secretary. What about the possibility of using further accelerated capital spend as a way of not cancelling the GARL project?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

GARL is a desirable project—many members of the Scottish Parliament would say that it is essential. In either scenario, MSPs give a pretty high level of priority to the project. You will be aware that Iain Gray has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking for additio...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Do you not accept, even in principle, that if we got additional accelerated capital resources the door might be left ajar for the reinstatement of GARL—assuming that Parliament regards it as a desirable or even essential project?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I am not going to speak against investment in social housing, cabinet secretary. Nevertheless, you talked about the tenuous nature—I cannot remember the precise word that you used—of the economic recovery, which you believe is a delicate creature. Surely, at such a time, along...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

But £19 million has already been spent on it.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Thank you, convener. I apologise for any misunderstanding.Cabinet secretary, did Transport Scotland recommend to you the cancellation of the Glasgow airport rail link?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Are you open to discussions with stakeholders or interested parties about the possibility of reinstating the GARL project?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Are you now saying that you regard it as an undesirable project?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

If a gift horse turned up with extra resources, you would look it in the mouth.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Cabinet secretary, are you not denying the lessons of your own experience, given that you were helped out of a jam with the completion of the M74 and that Network Rail's co-operation has given you additional flexibility to deal with the constraints that you have mentioned?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I know. It is great—I drive past it.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

That is good news for many people, although I suspect that it might be regarded by Transport Scotland officials as bad news for you. I know that programmes consisting of big projects can become lumpy and difficult to manage. Slippage can present an opportunity for another proj...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

If the situation is as bad as you say, the whole nation should not be left reliant simply on your individual judgment, with you choosing Barabbas instead of Jesus.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

That is the whole problem, is it not? You have decided not to have a dialogue with stakeholders. When I asked you to commit, at least in principle, to a dialogue with stakeholders and other interested parties—in order that we could help you and ourselves through the difficulti...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

You have already answered on the record my question about whether you are up for a discussion with stakeholders and other interested parties. The answer was no.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

I think that you are being disingenuous, cabinet secretary. You know very well that I am talking about a dialogue between interested parties and you acting as judge, jury and executioner.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Now we are getting into made-up stuff.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

The witnesses from the regional transport partnerships were confident that, with a relatively modest amount of additional capital and revenue funding, they and their partner local authorities could make a significant difference to national objectives on modal shift and climate...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Is there sufficient flexibility in the current budget to pursue such an approach?

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

How do you react to the suggestion that money could be saved by seeking to achieve better value from relatively expensive lines of revenue spending? The example was given to us of the administration costs that are associated with concessionary travel.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

That was something that came from the committee's witnesses.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Absolutely. We appreciate the political sensitivity.

Charlie Gordon: Lab Committee

03 Nov 2009

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2010-11

Given the expected longer-term constraints on future public spending, is there an opportunity to examine and debate the split between capital and revenue spending in transport budgets? Is there scope for, for example, redirecting spending from large capital projects to several...

Mr Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Chamber

08 Feb 2007

Transport and Works (Scotland) Bill

I am very pleased to endorse the bill. I am also delighted that we have reached stage 3. There was overwhelming cross-party consensus on the bill at stage 1. I gather that there was not much change to that consensus at committee at stage 2, except for a minor skirmish with Don...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Chamber

26 Nov 2008

Disabled Persons' Parking Places (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I support the general principles of the Disabled Persons' Parking Places (Scotland) Bill and I congratulate Jackie Baillie on introducing it. I am glad that the Scottish Government supports the bill's general principles. I commend the lead committee and the two other parliamen...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Lab Chamber

06 May 2009

Climate Change (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

This is a major bill by any standard, and it has been scrutinised to varying degrees by five parliamentary committees, including the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, of which I am a member. I do not know about the other committees, but I know that the ev...

Charlie Gordon: Lab Chamber

06 May 2009

Climate Change (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

The minister makes a fair point, but that aspect of the bill makes it rather unusual.The Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee recommended that"the Scottish Government provides, as a matter of urgency, details on how it intends fully to assess and present the ...

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab) Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

Just your hologram would do.

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

Gentlemen, I have a question on buses. The draft budget maintains the level of the bus service operators grant—indeed, to be fair, it was recently the subject of something like a 10 per cent increase. Of course, there is also the capped provision of £180 million per annum for ...

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

I did not say “subsidy”.

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

That was an interesting aside, Professor Rye, but I would like the panel to stick to the question: are buses being treated equitably vis-à-vis other transport modes? To be fair to Professor Rye, there was a point about rail at the start of his response.

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

The figures in the draft budget are being presented at a time when some local commercial bus services are being withdrawn as a result—the bus operators have suggested or implied—of the level of bus service operators grant or the capped level of compensation for the free travel...

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

I was too modest to mention that last point.

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

It is 10 years older.

Charlie Gordon Lab Committee

30 Nov 2010

Draft Budget Scrutiny 2011-12

On that point, Professor Docherty, you will be aware that the UK Government has asked a man called McNulty—not Des McNulty—to consider some of those issues. The scoping report is a pretty good analysis of the byzantine complexity of the UK railway industry, and it touches on s...