The Scottish Government

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ANNEX C : SCOTTISH TRANSPORT: RESPONSIBILITIES OF KEY PARTIES

1 The Scottish Executive is directly responsible for the following areas of transport and planning. In structural terms, delivery of these areas is divided between Transport Scotland (an executive agency, part of the Scottish Executive reporting to Ministers) and the Scottish Executive's Transport Group which work together jointly:

• National strategy:
  • National Transport Strategy
  • National transport budget allocations
  • Transport long-term infrastructure investment plan
  • Identification of key strategic/high cost infrastructure projects and investment in them through the forthcoming Strategic Projects Review process (to be led by Transport Scotland)
  • Scotland-wide free bus schemes for older and disabled people (delivered by Transport Scotland)
  • Legislation;
• Walking policy and investment;
• Cycling policy and investment;
• Bus:
  • Bus strategy
  • Bus Route Development Fund;
• Rail (delivered by Transport Scotland):
  • Preparation of Rail Strategy
  • Investment in rail infrastructure enhancements
  • Specifying and funding the ScotRail franchise
  • Specifying and funding Network Rail's operations in Scotland
  • Oversight and monitoring of rail passenger services wholly within Scotland
  • Rail passenger and freight policy
  • Rail fares policy/regulation;
• Trunk roads (delivered by Transport Scotland):
  • Trunk roads design and construction
  • Trunk roads maintenance
  • Trunk road policy;
• Planning:
  • National Planning Framework
  • Planning for Transport ( SPP17);
• Taxi and private hire licensing policy;
• Aviation:
  • Lifeline air links to and from Scottish islands
  • Air Route Development Fund
  • Planning issues relating to airports
  • Surface access to airports
  • Sponsorship of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited;
• Freight:
  • Freight Strategy
  • Freight Facilities and Waterborne Freight Grant Schemes;
• Road safety issues, insofar as they or their implementation are devolved;
• Shipping:
  • Lifeline ferry links to and from Scottish islands and remote areas
  • Ports policy and investment
  • Waterborne freight
  • Sponsorship of Caledonian MacBrayne;
• Promotion of biofuels in Scotland;
• Public and rural transport policy;
• European issues, insofar as they or their implementation are devolved;
• Funding of local authorities and regional transport partnerships; and Ministers are responsible for determining all roles and functions within sub-Scotland-wide institutional landscape;
• Funding of other bodies in the public sector which may have a role in transport;
• Elements of the funding of the voluntary sector insofar as it operates in transport; and
• Funding for local authorities and other bodies for road safety initiatives.

2 Regional transport partnerships are strategic regional bodies with membership consisting of local authorities' representatives and other principal stakeholders. There are seven RTPs:

• Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership ( HITRANS);
• North-East of Scotland Transport Partnership ( NESTRANS);
• Shetland Transport Partnership;
• South-East of Scotland Transport Partnership ( SESTRAN);
• South-West of Scotland Transport Partnership;
• Strathclyde Partnership for Transport; and
• Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership ( TACTRAN)

3 The RTPs are responsible for:

• Preparation of regional transport strategies - a statutory requirement. These must fulfil the requirements of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 ³⁶, including taking account of guidance and policy of the Scottish Ministers. The first RTSs will be required by April 2007 (with the possibility of extension of that date); and
• Such other transport responsibilities as may have been transferred to them from the local authorities within their area, or the Scottish Executive, or be held concurrently with the local authorities (or the Scottish Executive). Some RTPs will have significant operational powers from 1 April 2006. These will be:
  • Strathclyde Partnership for Transport which will take over the public transport functions of Strathclyde Passenger Transport;
  • The South-West of Scotland Transport Partnership which will take on similar powers from Dumfries and Galloway Council; and
  • The Shetland Transport Partnership which will take on similar powers from Shetland Islands Council.

4 Local authorities, and RTPs where they have been granted these responsibilities, are responsible for activities including:

• Local roads maintenance, signage, etc.;
• Funding local and regional infrastructure projects (both road and rail);
• Subsidising socially-necessary bus services;
• Regulatory control through taxi and private hire licensing regimes;
• Preparation of Local Transport Strategies;
• Local infrastructure provision - park and ride, bus stops and shelters, bus priority measures (including bus lanes, bus gates and priority junctions), bus stations and interchanges, etc.;
• Ownership of Dundee Airport (Dundee City Council);
• Argyll and Bute, Orkney and Shetland Councils own and operate airports within their boundaries;
• Elements of the funding of the voluntary sector insofar as it operates in transport;
• Funding for transport initiatives by third parties;
• Local road safety issues;
• Traffic management;
• Provision, including direct provision, of internal ferry and air services, particularly in Orkney and Shetland;
• Road Traffic Reduction Act responsibilities;
• Local road user charging; and
• Land use planning.

5 Much of transport in Scotland is delivered by the private sector, for example:

• Sale of vehicles and fuel;
• Buses and taxis;
• Airlines;
• Some ferry services and companies;
• Scotland's main airports, which are privately-owned (Dundee, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited and other small local authority airports are owned by the public sector);
• Ports;
• Rail passenger services (in Scotland, 95% of services are provided under the ScotRail franchise, specified and funded by the Scottish Executive);
• Rail infrastructure (Network Rail own, operate, maintain and improve the rail network in Scotland, as specified by the Scottish Executive);
• Freight - road, rail and waterborne;
• Maintenance of the Scottish trunk road network, which is contracted out to the private sector, and local road networks where local government compete contracts for local road maintenance;
• Construction;
• Modelling, traffic analysis and research;
• Economic investment ( i.e. new jobs, offices, shops, etc.); and
• The Royal Mail Postbus scheme, which uses specially prepared red mail vans to pick up passengers as well as post, once or twice a day.

6 The voluntary/social economy and academic sectors have an important role to play in:

• Modelling, traffic analysis and research;
• Challenging government policy;
• Community Transport;
• As a service delivery partner providing demand led-responsive transport;
• As advocates for service users and communities;
• As a source of advice on policy;
• Supporting individuals and the public to make positive lifestyle and travel choices;
• Providing innovative solutions to local and national issues; and
• Delivering projects and schemes.

7 Other public sector bodies and committees also have a role to play. For example:

• The Forth Estuary Transport Authority is responsible for the management, maintenance and operation of the Forth Road Bridge. The Authority may develop, support and fund such schemes and measures including roadworks, traffic management and public transport services, which it considers appropriate to reduce road traffic congestion on the bridge or to encourage an increase in the use of public transport across the Firth of Forth;
• The Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland was established in 2002 to advise Scottish Ministers on the transport needs of disabled people, on how to improve accessibility of transport and on how to promote inclusive mobility;
• The Scottish Ambulance Service provides emergency and non-emergency transport to hospitals. Health transport is also provided by others, including local NHS Boards and the voluntary sector;
• Decisions by NHS Boards, education authorities and others on the location of services and jobs can have a direct impact on transport services and the needs of users;
• The Bus User Complaints Tribunal provides bus users with a voice in securing better bus services through a statutory appeals procedure should an operator not resolve a complaint satisfactorily;
• Road Safety Scotland co-ordinates road safety activity in Scotland and produces road safety education initiatives and publicity messages;
• VisitScotland's marketing campaigns increase visitor numbers and drive transport demand;
• Caledonian MacBrayne is a limited liability company wholly owned by Scottish Ministers. CalMac provides a network of lifeline ferry services to islands off the West Coast and in the Clyde estuary;
• Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd ( HIAL) own and operate 10 airports.
• The Enterprise Networks invest directly themselves and influence investment in the economy thereby influencing the location of jobs, services, etc.; and
• Communities Scotland invests in, oversees and coordinates local regeneration.

8 Private citizens make decisions every day about travel, and the behaviours and attitudes of individuals - whether in line with national policy or otherwise - and government's response to these are critical parts of transport policy. An individual can make a difference in environmental terms, for example, by his or her choice of daily transport.

9 All these responsibilities, all of these modes of transport (except where indicated below), and all these organisations, bodies and people fall within the scope of this Strategy.

10 Aspects of transport which are not devolved to the Scottish Parliament are not addressed in detail in this Strategy. These include:

• Taxation;
• Competition law;
• Vehicle standards;
• Driver and vehicle licensing and driver training;
• National speed limits;
• Cross-border rail passenger franchises (although Scottish Ministers are empowered to offer non-binding advice to the Secretary of State for Transport on the terms of such franchises) and freight services;
• GB wide rail network issues such as railway safety and standards;
• Aviation regulation and policy (apart from airport surface access, the Route Development Fund and policy on lifeline services, as indicated above);
• International and cross-border aviation;
• Licensing of bus operators and bus drivers;
• International and cross-border shipping; and
• Much of energy policy ( e.g. the proposed Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation).

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