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Road User Charging (Exemption from Charges) (Scotland) Regulations 2004<br />(SSI 2004/519)
Item 2 is consideration of one piece of subordinate legislation under the negative procedure. No member has raised a point on the regulations and no motion to annul has been lodged.
I have a point for clarification. I am not opposed to the regulations, which, as I understand them, propose that vehicles that are involved in the emergency services—the police, the fire brigade, the coastguard and so on—should be exempt from any road user charging scheme that may be introduced at a future date. However, I would like the committee to consider whether it would be appropriate to ask the minister to confirm that the category of "ambulance" would include mountain rescue vehicles. I believe that that is the case, but it would be useful if that could be confirmed.
I am comfortable with our confirming in correspondence with the Executive whether that is the case. Once we get a response, I will share it with members of the committee.
As you know, convener, I have previously moved a motion to have regulations annulled. Although I will not do so on this occasion, I want to make it clear for the record that my view on charging remains the same as when we debated the issue previously. The fact that I am not moving a motion to annul the regulations does not mean that I am in agreement with charging.
I am sure that that position is understood. On that basis, are we agreed that the committee has nothing to report with regard to the regulations?
Members indicated agreement.
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