TRANSPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE Wednesday 8 September 1999 (Morning) £5.00 Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body 1999. Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to the Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax 01603 723000, which is administering the copyright on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Produced and published in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by The Stationery Office Ltd. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office is independent of and separate from the company now trading as The Stationery Office Ltd, which is responsible for printing and publishing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body publications. CONTENTS Wednesday 8 September 1999 Col. INTERESTS .............................................................................................................................................17 EVIDENCE...............................................................................................................................................17 STATUTORY INSTRUMENT .........................................................................................................................39 PUBLIC PETITIONS ...................................................................................................................................41 WORK PROGRAMME AND TIMETABLE .........................................................................................................45 INVITATIONS............................................................................................................................................50 TRANSPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 2nd Meeting CONVENER : *Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab) COMMI TTEE MEMBERS : *Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab) Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP) *Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green) *Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab) *Cathy Jamieson (Carric k, Cumnoc k and Doon Valley) (Lab) *Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP) *Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab) *Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) LD) *Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD) *Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con) *attended WITNESS: Sarah Boyac k (The Minister for Transport and the Environment) COMMI TTEE CLERK: Lynn Tullis ASSISTANT CLERK: Dav id McGill 17 8 SEPTEMBER 1999 18 Scottish Parliament year, “Travel Choices for Scotland”. The partnership agreement re-emphasises our commitment to delivering an integrated transport Transport and the Environment policy that will meet transport needs and protect Committee the environment. During the past year, a series of daughter Wednesday 8 September 1999 documents followed the white paper. The documents addressed the appraisal of trunk road (Morning) investment; consultation on regional partnerships; guidance on local transport strategies; freight, in [THE CONVENER opened the meeting at 10:05] the “Sustainable Distribution” paper; buses, in the “From Workhorse to Thoroughbred” paper; the The Convener (Mr Andy Kerr): I welcome national planning policy guidance on transport and members and those in the public gallery—a planning; and consultation on road user charging. mixture of the public, interested parties and the The devolution settlement will give Scottish press—to the second meeting of the Transport ministers extensive powers relating to transport. and the Environment Committee. We have the The Parliament will have legislative power over pleasure of having the Minister for Transport and local transport, roads, buses and the operation of the Environment with us this morning. Caledonian MacBrayne and the northern isles Interests ferries. We will be able to influence the passenger rail services by issuing directions on the Scottish franchise to the strategic rail authority and by the The Convener: The first item of business is the fact that we will have control of £208 million of declaration of interests. I invite Des McNulty to do franchise payments. so—he missed the opportunity to declare his interests at the first meeting. We will vigorously promote Scotland’s interest in reserved matters. For example, we welcome the Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) successful outcome on the cargo fifth freedoms at (Lab): The only relevant interest that I declare is Prestwick. that I am deputy chair and a board member of the Wise Group, which is a non-profit organisation that Local authorities are best placed to develop specialises in bringing long-term unemployed local solutions to local problems, and we have people back into the work force. It engages in tried to set up mechanisms to encourage that. The environmental improvement work. If a clash of first round of the interim local transport strategies interests arises, I will notify the committee. is now in place. That will be underpinned by the public transport fund, which is worth £90 million Evidence over three years. The first round awarded £29 million over three years to 13 local authorities. We The Convener: After that formal item of have received 26 applications for the second business, I welcome Sarah Boyack, the Minister round, which we will announce shortly. for Transport and the Environment. We are glad to We have put in place a framework for regional have her here today; at this formative stage of the transport partnerships, following the consultation committee’s development, it is useful to have the that we have had. The intention is to encourage views of the Executive. W e have asked Sarah to better co-ordination of transport services and outline the Executive’s priorities for transport and transport policies regionally, while allowing scope the environment and to tell us the proposals that for initiative and innovation to suit local will be implemented. As we have before us a circumstances. I intend to make an announcement petition about the A77, I should be glad if the in Parliament in the autumn on the way forward for minister touched on the strategic roads review. regional transport partnerships. The Minister for Transport and the By December 2000, we intend to deliver a Environment (Sarah Boyack): I am pleased to practical and effective Scottish national public have been invited before you so early in the work transport timetable that will cover all bus, coach, of the committee. I hope that we will establish a rail, ferry and air services in Scotland and constructive relationship during the next few years. connections with UK services. We are drawing up I will talk through the key priorities of the an action plan to deliver through-ticketing Executive’s programme for government and will throughout Scotland from March 2000. We are refer to “Making it work together”, which sets out using our freight facilities grant and our investment our targets. in freight to deliver £18 million of investment in Scotland over three years. The key objecti ve is to On transport, we are committed to the policies transfer freight from road to rail, to make it set out in the white paper that was published last 19 8 SEPTEMBER 1999 20 possible for firms to transport their goods by rail, to and one on which we need to work together. free up some road space, and to allow us to The planning element of my remit is also part of address safety issues. We will also deliver a this committee’s remit. We are considering voluntary scheme that will provide free travel for responses to a wide-ranging consultation blind people on bus and rail services by the end of document, “Land Use Planning Under a Scottish this year. Parliament”. I intend to publish a summary of the We acknowledge that there are distinct issues in responses to that paper shortly. The committee Scotland’s rural areas, and we recognise the will be interested in that, as that issue will have to strength of feeling about motor fuel prices. Fuel be addressed. Particular concerns about the and vehicle taxation is a reserved matter, but the planning system have arisen during the Scottish Executive will ensure that Scottish consultation process, which were reinforced when interests are to the fore and we will liaise with UK the “Pathfinders to the Parliament” document was ministers. produced earlier this year. Criticisms have been made of the delays in the system, which will The Government has committed £14 million of provide a number of areas on which we must new investment, over three years, to encouraging focus. rural transport. I am keen to ensure that we focus that investment effectively. The investment We are taking steps to speed up the planning includes £3.5 million for buses over the first two system, to promote quality in planning and at years, £0.6 million a year for community transport ground level. The second annual report of the and £0.4 million for sustaining rural petrol stations. Planning Audit Unit is about to be published, which For 1999-2000 we have been able to set aside an will allow the Executive to track what is happening extra £0.73 million, of which £150,000 will be locally. It will also allow local authorities to reflect allocated to community transport and £300,000 to on how they can improve standards and the rural petrol stations. effectiveness of the system. We will consider what else we can do. There is considerable scope within the Executive for 10:15 bringing together thinking on rural transport, social We intend to make sure that the planning inclusion and rural development, to maximise system develops and becomes more outward support for accessible rural services. I am keen looking, so that