Obviously, that is hard to judge. Parking charges on Mull, such as those at Craignure, and any associated statutory processes or assessments, are matters for Argyll and Bute Council. Road traffic legislation provides local authorities with powers to develop specific parking charging schemes where they regard that as being appropriate for particular areas. However, I do not dismiss the convener’s point about the financial drivers in this case, as has been reported. CalMac does not charge for parking at the ports that it operates on behalf of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and has no plans to do so. That gives an indication of where we consider the direction of travel should go, although we respect local authorities’ rights in this area.
I will give a wider answer on what we are doing to address the petition. We are developing the islands connectivity plan to succeed the Scottish ferries plan, which runs from 2013 to the end of 2022. It is likely to differ from the current format of the ferries plan and will be developed in the policy context that is provided by the recently published “National Transport Strategy: protecting our climate and improving lives” and the national islands plan. Those strategies are aligned to the Government’s purpose and national outcomes.
The islands connectivity plan will be closely linked to the emerging strategic transport projects review 2. That will consider islands connectivity more broadly, having regard to all forms of transport—aviation, ferries and fixed links—to connecting onward travel, with a particular focus on active, public and shared transport.
I would hope that, in situations such as the one that we face in this case, there will be other means by which we can avoid people having to use car parking through their using active, public and shared transport. The plan will also reflect the Government’s commitments to achieve net carbon neutrality and for setting out pathways towards zero-carbon or low-carbon emission levels and services.
On whether that adequately deals with the petition, island communities impact assessments, as members might know, can be applied retrospectively. I appreciate that there has been concern about the length of time that it has taken to develop ICIAs. It is a complex process. Paul Maxton leads on that and is very much at the heart of that work.
The regulations will be enforced from 23 December. As I said, there is a retrospective element to them. If an application is made to review a decision, that can be progressed retrospectively. Perhaps Paul Maxton might want to comment on the powers that we have to deliver that.
I appreciate that that is perhaps not a perfect answer to Gail Ross’s question, but I am trying to get across that we are doing a range of things to offset the need for parking through STPR2 and our wider national approach to transport and sustainable active travel. The framework that we are putting in place through the implementation of the island communities impact assessments provides a route by which appeals on decisions can be made—in cases where an ICIA has not been done previously, of course—to consider whether a policy is fair for the community in question, or whether it is potentially damaging to their interest.
Perhaps Mr Maxton might wish to comment on the retrospective aspects of the legislation, to give confidence that that could be applied in this situation.