Chamber and committees

A recent report from a private company within the aviation sector estimated that the cost to build a new paved runway at Barra would be £1 million. However, a more extensive study carried out in 1993 by Airport Management Services Ltd, into the possibility of a hard landing strip on either Barra or Vatersay, estimated that the cost would be approximately £6 million.

The Executive has no plans to create a fixed runway on Barra.

Local authorities are responsible for making and administering concessionary travel schemes under the Transport Act 1985 and it is for them to negotiate the level of reimbursement provided to operators of local bus services. There are 16 local concessionary travel schemes in operation in Scotland and they each offer a range of benefits considered appropriate by the relevant authority or authorities. From 30 September each of the 16 local schemes will be enhanced to provide, as a minimum, free local off-peak bus travel after 0930 Monday to Friday and all weekend.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority, which replaced the previous joint board from 1 April 2002, is empowered to use toll revenues to develop, support and fund public transport schemes and measures, and to encourage an increase in the use of public transport across the Firth of Forth. Decisions on how these revenues should be invested are a matter for the authority itself.

SESTRAN has applied for funding to expand the Ferrytoll park and ride scheme from the fifth round of the Public Transport Fund.Decisions on the Public Transport Fund will be announced in October.

The City of Edinburgh Council, as the relevant roads authority, and the Forth Estuary Transport Authority are jointly taking forward plans to construct the M9 Spur Extension/A90 Upgrading Scheme to provide a new link road and reduce congestion on the A8000, which is a local road. The proposals do not include any provision for a dedicated bus lane on the northbound side of the A90.

The development of such a scheme is a matter for Fife Council and the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.

This is a matter for City of Edinburgh Council. The council is developing a strategic park-and-ride site at Ingliston and I understand that the council has now applied for planning permission for the site.

The Executive funded a pilot smartcard project in Aberdeen through the first round of the Modernising Government Fund. Aberdeen City Council has used this support to develop a citizen's smartcard with concessionary fares for elderly people being a core application. Every bus in Aberdeen will be fitted with smartcard readers and the smartcards themselves will be rolled out to all concessionary card holders over the next few months. The Executive, through the second round of the Modernising Government Fund, has encouraged a consortium of local authorities to work together to further develop the Aberdeen model. We took this approach in order to develop a Scottish-wide solution and a standard approach to smartcard technology. This will deliver economies of scale and provide a platform to further develop smartcard technology to support multiple applications, including further transport developments.More generally, the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 provides local authorities with powers to develop integrated joint ticketing schemes between bus operators.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28938 on 16 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.