Chamber and committees

Halcrow Group Ltd and MVA Consultancy Ltd have been involved in providing independent advice to the Scottish Government in the creation and calculation of the RET scheme.

Halcrow Group Ltd were commissioned by the Scottish Government and prepared the following reports:

Road Equivalent Tariff Study – Stage 1 Phase 1 Report – October 2007

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/935/0061363.pdf

Road Equivalent Tariff Study – Stage 1 Phase 2 Report – February 2008

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/935/0061364.pdf

Road Equivalent Tariff Study – Stage 1 Phase 3 Report – Impact Analysis – February 2008

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/935/0061365.pdf

Road Equivalent Tariff Study – Stage 1 Phase 4 Report – Pilot Study – February 2008

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/935/0061366.pdf

Assessment of the Road Equivalent Tariff Pilot – July 2011

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/files/documents/water/ferries/Assessment_of_the_Impacts_of_the_RET_Pilot_-_Final_Report.pdf

MVA Consultancy Ltd were commissioned by Scottish Government and prepared the following report;

Impact of the Removal of RET Fares from Commercial Vehicles on The Western Isles, Coll and Tiree – May 2013

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j264768-00.htm.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14936 on 31 May 2013. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14939 on 31 May 2013. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The report recommended a foot passenger fare of a fixed element of £2.00 plus a rate per mile of £0.10. The rate per mile was updated to £0.13 in October 2012 to reflect the then current cost of travel.

No information is held by the Scottish Government on the most commonly driven cars or the associated cost per mile to drive them.

Information on the 10 most popular new cars sold is available from Table 1.11 of Scottish Transport Statistics No 31: 2012 Edition. This table can be accessed by following the attached link:

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j251205-026.htm.

Information on vehicle running costs by type and size of engine is available from the RAC and is provided in the following link:

http://www.emmerson-hill.co.uk/downloads/Motoring_Costs_April_2012.pdf.

The road equivalent tariff (RET) fare for a car is calculated by a fixed element of £5.00 plus a rate per mile of £0.80.

A driver and any passengers will be charged as foot passengers. For foot passengers the RET fare is a fixed element of £2.00 plus £0.13 per mile.

The fixed cost element of the fare is designed to offset the elements on each route such as the costs of maintaining harbour infrastructure at each end of the route and the cost of maintaining the vessel.

As noted in the Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, the RET formula will be updated annually in line with the cost of travel.

The Scottish Ferry Services: Ferries Plan (2013 – 2022) can be found at:

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j254579-00.htm.

The road equivalent tariff (RET) formula for a car is a fixed element of £5.00 plus a rate of £0.80 per mile. For foot passengers the RET fare is a fixed element of £2.00 plus £0.13 per mile.

This current formula was first used for the roll out of RET to Islay, Colonsay and Gigha in October 2012. The intention is to update the formula annually in line with the cost of travel and to apply the formula at the start of each summer timetable period.

The information requested is set out in the following table.

Note: *For this route the mileage was not used to calculate the fare level, which would have resulted in higher fare levels.

Transport Scotland and CalMac Ferries Limited corresponded with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding CalMac’s advertising of RET between March and May 2013.

ASA wrote to CalMac on the 15 March 2013. The case was transferred to Transport Scotland who replied to ASA on 16 April. ASA responded with recommendations on 8 May 2013.

Following the ASA recommendations, CalMac Ferries Limited made ASA aware of their plans and updated their website and templates for printed versions of the Explore magazine. These updates provided more explanatory information about RET to CalMac’s customers.

ASA replied to CalMac, copying in Transport Scotland, on 13 May confirming that they will close their file on the complaint following the completion of the planned changes.

Fish Producer Organisations (POs) are membership organisations made of up fishermen that are provided for in EC Regulations that in Scotland and elsewhere in the European Union play an important role in the co-ordination of supplies of fish to markets and in the improvement of trading conditions for member vessels. POs in Scotland and in the UK also manage allocations of fish quota carrying out functions delegated to them by Government.

At present the Scottish Government does not propose to involve bodies other than POs in the management of fish quotas. The Government also considers, and concluded such in a report published during 2012, that there is scope for POs to do more to fully fulfil their functions in the organisation of supply and the development of markets. The Government continues to work towards these aims in close partnership with POs in Scotland.