Question reference: S4W-02508
- Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 2 September 2011
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 September 2011
Question
To ask the Scottish Exectuive what progress has been made in its negotiations with the UK Department for Transport and the Welsh Assembly Government to help deliver the Ministry of Defence's commitment to make it easier for seriously injured service personnel and veterans under 60 to access the concessionary travel scheme.
Answer
Discussions were held over several months with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Welsh Assembly Government about adopting a common approach in taking forward the Ministry of Defence commitment to make it easier for seriously injured HM Forces personnel and veterans to apply for a bus pass. The Scottish Government announced on 22 March 2011 that bus pass applications from seriously injured HM Forces personnel and veterans living in Scotland would be fast tracked from 1 April 2011 under the Scotland-wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People. Similar arrangements have now been introduced in England and Wales.