Transport and the Environment Committee, 17 Nov 1999
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Official Report
282KB pdf
Petitions
The Public Petitions Committee met on 2 November to consider petitions received by the Parliament. At that meeting, five petitions were referred to the Transport and the Environment Committee. Petition PE16 was also referred to the Rural Affairs Committee.
Petition PE16, from Jimmy Oswald, is on action to reverse the decline of the capercaillie in Scotland. Members will have read the petition and we may want to ask the Scottish Executive and Scottish National Heritage to provide details of the approach to the protection of the capercaillie: the practical effects of the listing of the bird under schedule 2 as opposed to schedule 1 in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; current and predicted future levels of capercaillie; and measures that are in place at present to protect the capercaillie, together with the adequacy of those measures. We might also want to ask the petitioner to confirm the basis of the research that relates to the predicted decline in numbers of capercaillie. Do any members want to add anything to that list of actions that the committee might want to take? Are those actions agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
We are considering petition PE17, on Skye Bridge tolls discounting options for Western Isles residents, and petition PE27, on toll concessions for the transport of livestock, feedstuffs and other haulage across the Skye bridge, together because they deal with similar issues. I suggest that we note the concerns of the petitioners and refer the petitions to the Scottish Executive for further consideration.
We are asked to support specific concessions, and I think that the approach that we took to the capercaillie petition would be more appropriate. We should investigate further. I am sure that we would get information from the Executive, but I do not want simply to refer the petitions to the Executive.
It would be appropriate to ask for the basis on which the discounts were granted to normal users from Skye, and to probe the reasons why those discounts were not granted to people from the Western Isles. We should ask what the implications would be for the agreement with the bridge operating company and repayments if the concession were granted.
On the livestock issue, the comparator is the ferry service. It would be appropriate to ask for the reasons why those concessions were granted and what would be the implications of agreeing such a concession on the bridge. If we have that information, we will be in a position to pass a judgment on the petition and to say whether we think that it is reasonable for the Executive to give it favourable consideration. It is a slightly more convoluted approach, but, in this case, it is not just a matter for the Executive. We should give an opinion on the petition. I can imagine that I might agree with some or all of the petition if I had the whole picture.
That is very useful, Murray. Thank you. Are there any other comments? We can add in those made by Murray.
Petition PE21 is from Penicuik and District Community Council on the need for a concessionary bus fare scheme to be operated nationally by the Scottish Executive. We wish to note the concerns of the petitioner. It is one of the areas of early action that we agreed to at our meeting during the recess—it seems a long time ago. We will advise the petitioner of the interest in concessionary fares expressed by the committee and our intention to consider further action on the matter. It would be useful if we passed the petition on to the Executive, so that it knows that there is a concern out there. Is that agreed to by the committee?
Members indicated agreement.
Petition PE22 from the Island of Cumbrae Tourist Association concerns the fare structure of Caledonian MacBrayne for the ferry to Cumbrae island and calls for more detailed financial information to be made available. We wish to note the concerns of the petitioner, refer the matter to the Scottish Executive for further consideration and request the information and the details of Caledonian MacBrayne's revenue receipts from the Largs to Cumbrae ferry service.
Having had many years both working and living experience of the Clyde ferries, I think that the issue may not just be about the revenue receipts, but about the cost of running specific ferries. Tavish Scott would probably agree with me. It concerns the wider scrutiny of Caledonian MacBrayne and ferry services in general. I would like to give some assurance to the petitioner that we are asking for a wider investigation than that of the revenue receipts alone.
I support the principle of what Linda is saying. We need to deal not only with the individual petition, but with the wider question of sea transport. I hope that we will find some time in our busy work programme for that area.
I am happy to accept those additions to the remit. With those additions added in, are we agreed? We are.
We will follow up each petition with a letter from the clerk advising the petitioners of our actions.