Hansard

I was elected to Parliament less than a month ago and want to take the opportunity in my first speech to thank members throughout the chamber for their warm welcome. I also put on record my sincere thanks for the assistance that I have received from Parliament staff and civil servants, who have been extremely helpful in the first four weeks of my time here. I am very grateful for their welcome and support.

I am also indebted to the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians, who voted in unprecedented numbers for the SNP on 3 May and returned me as one of their representatives. I pledge to work hard and honestly to provide them with the representation in Parliament that they deserve.

It has been suggested to me by friends and new colleagues that members making their maiden speeches should try to avoid anything controversial. I listened to that advice and have chosen to address today's subject for debate.

I welcome the new uncontroversial political consensus that has emerged throughout Parliament on the abolition of tolls on bridges in the east of Scotland. The matter impacts greatly on the constituents of Edinburgh and the Lothians and it needs to be resolved. I am delighted that, in the new dawn of consensus politics in Scotland, there is agreement among all the major parties that we should abolish the bridge tolls. Election results are wonderful things: they focus the minds of all those who participate in the debate, and it seems that the process has had quite an effect on the thinking of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. I welcome them, even belatedly, to the spirit of harmony that is prevailing today.

I want the tolls on the Tay bridge to be abolished but, for a number of reasons, I want particularly the tolls on the Forth bridge to be abolished. It is iniquitous that tolls have been abolished on the Skye and Erskine bridges on the west coast of Scotland while tolls remain on both major road bridges on the east coast. The injustice of that situation needs to be rectified.

The tolls have an adverse impact on the economy of the region because they create a competitive disadvantage for businesses that operate in Fife and people who have to travel north from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Parliament has a duty to help to grow and nurture business, but the tolls present a clear financial burden to those who are based here and a disincentive to those who seek to relocate. Under the system of bridge tolls, businesses that rely on the road network to transport goods north from the central belt face a financial penalty if they choose to locate in West Lothian, Midlothian or Edinburgh. That is unacceptable to me and to my constituents. Businesses—particularly smaller businesses— deserve a fairer deal.

A recent investigation by Fife Chamber of Commerce estimated the direct cost of the tolls to businesses in Fife to be £1.4 million. If we add the indirect costs, the true cost for Fife alone is probably nearer £3.4 million to £3.5 million. Businesses in the Lothians are similarly disadvantaged, which is why the tolls should be abolished as soon as possible.

I understand that, for many of us, reliance on the existing transport infrastructure will not meet all the challenges that the future will bring. Today, I read with interest the contribution to the tolled bridges review by a regular commuter and bridge user, who stated:

"The problem is that people who are causing the congestion and all the consequent damage are only trying to get to work, do their 8 hours on the treadmill and get home. We need to be thinking about what alternatives we can give them. If cost of living and quality of life drive them out of the city, who can be surprised if congestion is the result? Also, families can't afford the cost and disruption of moving home every time one person changes his or her job: to minimise big capital costs, they just drive further."

Although I believe that the first course of action in easing the commute for those who travel from, and work in, Edinburgh and the Lothians should be removal of the financial burden of the tolls, we should also look to improve the alternatives for those who seek to go about their daily lives.

I agree with the minister that we should not rush into arbitrary decisions on major infrastructure projects. It is clear that a final decision on many of the increasingly expensive schemes that the previous Governments proposed should be taken only when the current Government can present to Parliament full financial information in a considered way. I welcome that, but we must whenever possible also carefully examine cost-effective alternatives to road travel. I urge the minister urgently to examine proposals to reduce journey times by train throughout Scotland, but particularly journey times to and from our capital city as a way to promote positive alternatives to car use and further stimulate our economy.

Abolishing the tolls on the Tay and Forth bridges is a welcome first step by the Administration and it has my support today. I look forward to working with the Scottish Government in the coming weeks and months to make even more progress for commuters and businesses in the east of Scotland.