Official Report 150KB pdf
I refer members to the paper on our proposed terms of reference and approach to the inquiry into concessionary travel. We need to discuss the paper, a draft of which was circulated to members at the weekend, in light of the recent announcement in Parliament on concessionary travel by the Minister for Transport and the Environment. The minister said that there would be research into the issue; we should discuss how that announcement affects our proposed inquiry. We should consider whether and how to seek further information from the Executive. We can then appraise that information.
I welcome the minister's announcement on concessionary travel, which is an area that we prioritised and in which we all want results. We should not duplicate any work that the Executive will do. Do we have details of the Executive's research programme? We spent a lot of time on the telecommunications inquiry; we should not reinvent the wheel on this issue, but use any other information that is being gathered. How do the clerks think that we can tailor our plan in light of the Executive's announcement?
I will take other comments before inviting the clerk to respond.
I would like to hear the clerk's views first.
From our perspective, the sensible next step would be to get a written briefing from the Executive on the detail and timing of its proposals and its intended approach. It may also be helpful to have someone from the Executive attend our next meeting to explain that to us. We will then be in a better position to decide how to proceed and how we want to interact with the Executive.
We need written clarification and someone from the Executive to explain the brief for the research proposal. If members agree, that is how we will proceed.