Finance Committee, 11 Sep 2007
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Official Report
118KB pdf
Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum
Agenda item 2 is consideration of our approach to the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced on 3 September. As members know from the paper on our work programme, we agreed to continue with our predecessor committee's three-level approach to scrutiny of financial memoranda. As the Finance Committee, we are concerned not with the policy implications of legislation but with the financial implications. We seek to take evidence from bodies upon which costs fall and from Executive officials rather than from ministers.
The paper by the clerks suggests that we adopt level 3 scrutiny of the bill, which involves taking oral and written evidence from affected bodies and Executive officials. We will then produce a report for the lead committee. The paper also suggests that we take evidence from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board. We would not normally take evidence from affected bodies and Executive officials on the same day, but given that the figures in the financial memorandum were provided to the Executive mainly by FETA and the Tay bridge authority, it seems sensible for us to hear from them at the same meeting.
Do members agree to adopt level 3 scrutiny of the bill and to take oral and written evidence as set out in the clerk's paper?
Members indicated agreement.