Chamber and committees

The Executive supports moves to reduce traffic congestion. Use of buses, including dedicated school buses, is one of a number of options which the Executive would be prepared to consider to encourage safer, healthier and more sustainable travel to school. However, statutory responsibility for school transport rests with education authorities.

In the recent spending review, additional funds were allocated to the continuation of the Route Development Fund which will allow new routes commencing in the next two to three years to be supported.

The Route Development Fund does not currently provide marketing support for new air routes. Part of VisitScotland’s international marketing budget was spent, however, on campaigns which promoted direct access routes. This amounted to £3 million in 2003-04 and 2004-05, and is expected to rise to around £4 million in 2005-06.

The Route Development Fund (RDF) channels its support to routes which deliver a net economic benefit for Scotland. These will be to routes which are likely to enhance business connectivity or which have the potential to bring appreciable numbers of inbound tourists to Scotland. The level of investment in new routes is determined by the results of route economic appraisals.

The criteria are:

The proposed route must be a new route;

The route must deliver a net economic benefit to the Scottish economy based on its projected carryings of inbound and outbound business passengers and inbound leisure passengers;

An international route serving Aberdeen or Dundee airports must be operated year-round, at an average frequency (over two consecutive scheduling seasons) of at least three round trip services per week. Key UK domestic air services can also be supported;

An international route serving Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports must be operated year-round, at an average frequency (over two consecutive scheduling seasons) of at least five round trip services per week, and

The level of frequency for new air services in the Highlands and Islands is flexibly applied and the Fund can be used to support intra-Scotland, intra-UK and seasonal services. This reflects the ability of the areas to sustain air services in the long-term and the Executive’s aim that the fund should be inclusive and embrace all of Scotland’s diverse communities.

A total of 29 routes have been supported since the inception in November 2002 of the Executive’s Route Development Fund as follows:

Airport	No of RDF Routes Started During 2003	No of RDF Routes Started During 2004	No of RDF routes Started January to June 2005	Totals
Aberdeen*	-	3	2	5
Edinburgh	6	2	1	9
Inverness*	1	1	-	2
Glasgow International	-	2	1	3
Glasgow Prestwick	3	3	2	8
Sumburgh	-	1(summer only)	**	1
Kirkwall	1	-	-	1
Totals	11	12	6	29

Notes:

*One new route from Aberdeen and one from Inverness will start in July 2005

**The route which started from Sumburgh in summer 2004 will also operate in summer 2005.

The Route Development Fund does not currently provide marketing support for new air routes.

The promotion of accessibility will, however, continue to be a major strategic aim for VisitScotland; which will continue to operate on the basis of its route prioritisation criteria.

The Route Development Fund does not currently provide marketing support for new air routes. The criteria used by VisitScotland for route prioritisation and marketing investment are, however, as follows:

Importance of the market – current size of the market to the UK and to Scotland; growth potential outbound in general and to Scotland; product fit for the touring, city breaks, golf, walking, ancestral and business tourism portfolios.

Scope of service to increase inbound traffic – number of seats and percentage of those inbound, attractiveness of fare structure, and the scope to generate visitors from those areas of a country which have greatest propensity for outbound tourism.

Opportunity to make an impact in the market – whether VisitScotland already has a base of activity in the market place, and active investment by airlines in the promotion of Scotland routes.

The minimum frequency thresholds for support from the Route Development Fund (RDF) have been reduced in the case of international routes from Aberdeen and Dundee, in recognition of their relatively limited catchment sizes, relative lack of international services, and distance from the Edinburgh and Glasgow International Airports.

An international route serving Aberdeen or Dundee airports must be operated year-round, at an average frequency (over two consecutive scheduling seasons) of at least three round trip services per week.

The Housing Bill currently before Parliament would require those selling a domestic property to provide certain information to potential purchasers. The information in this purchaser’s information pack will be prescribed in regulations. We expect it to include a property condition survey – the Single Survey - and documents such as a Property Enquiry Certificate, details of factoring arrangements and warranties, guarantees and planning permissions for major works including extensions, roofs and timber treatment, all of which are presently provided to the purchaser towards the end of the transaction. As householders are not generally required to have gas or electrical safety certificates, we do not plan to include them in the requirements for the pack. We do, however, expect the Single Survey to include information relating to the general condition and functionality of the gas and electrical appliances.

VisitScotland does not currently hold data on the final destinations of people flying into Scottish airports. However, VisitScotland is involved in research currently being carried out in conjunction with a number of Scottish airports. This research will include findings on the final destinations of people flying into Scottish airports. The research is due to be completed in December 2005 and findings are expected be available in the spring of 2006.

This research is being managed by the Civil Aviation Authority and, in addition to VisitScotland, partners involved in the research are BAA’s Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports; Inverness airport; Glasgow Prestwick airport; Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.