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ANNEX D : KEY POLICY LINKAGES

Changes in the structure of Scottish transport

1 The Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 led to the setting up of regional transport partnerships ( RTPs), and placed on them a statutory duty to prepare regional transport strategies ( RTSs). This will be one of the first and most important tasks of each partnership and the Act requires RTPs to have regard to statutory guidance ³⁷ given to them for this purpose by Scottish Ministers. This was published for consultation on 4 November 2005. The RTSs will have a critical linkage with the NTS, as well as linking to local transport strategies prepared by local authorities.

2 Each RTS, under the terms of the Act, will:

• Address the need for efficient transport links between heavily populated places;
• Consider how transport will be provided, developed, improved and operated to enhance social and economic well-being;
• Promote public safety, including road safety and the safety of users of public transport;
• Be consistent with the principles of sustainable development and conserving and enhancing the environment;
• Promote social inclusion;
• Encourage equal opportunities;
• Facilitate access to hospitals, clinics, surgeries and other places where a health service is provided; and
• Integrate with transport elsewhere.

3 We have also issued guidance ³⁸ to local authorities on the preparation of local transport strategies, a non-statutory requirement.

4 We have also set up a new transport agency, Transport Scotland, to deliver our major roads and rail schemes, maintain our national networks, and deliver national concessionary fares schemes.

Integration with other policies

5 The Executive has a range of plans and policies which impact on the National Transport Strategy, and, when refreshed or revised, will be affected by it in turn. In each case our starting point is that the National Transport Strategy builds on these existing policies, and the objectives that they set out.

6 Some of the most important linkages are with the following.

Policy on economic growth

7The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland³⁹ ( FEDS) is the overarching framework for the Executive's economic development policy. It sets out the Executive's vision - that economic development should raise the quality of life of Scottish people through increasing economic opportunities for all - and highlights sustainable improvements in productivity as the key to achieving this vision. The importance of a highly developed and effective transport infrastructure is recognised throughout the Framework. A well-developed transport system is central to joining business to business, consumer to business, and ensuring the efficient movement of goods and people to the right places at the right times.

8A Smart, Successful Scotland⁴⁰, our Enterprise Strategy and strategic direction to the Enterprises Networks, expands on many of the priorities set out in FEDS, including entrepreneurial dynamism, skills, innovation and research and development. The importance of good transport connections is stressed throughout, as an enabler for economic growth and as a pre-requisite for achieving integration with the world economy. Specific mention is made of the importance of infrastructure, including transport, investment to the development of competitive places and the transformation of areas suffering from decline.

9 In terms of sectoral growth, the Tourism Framework for Change, published in March 2006, sets out how we will deliver our ambition to grow tourism revenues by 50% by 2015. Going for Green Growth: a green jobs strategy for Scotland⁴¹ looks at how we can best exploit the new business opportunities arising from our commitment to sustainable development. It also stresses that all businesses can improve their productivity and competitiveness by using resources more efficiently and it complements A Smart, Successful Scotland through providing medium to long term strategic guidance to the Enterprise Networks. In partnership with industry and the trade unions, in 2005 we also published a Strategy for the Financial Service Industry in Scotland⁴², aimed at sustaining the success of Scotland's financial services industry and maximising its impact on the Scottish economy. World-class infrastructure is recognised within the strategy as a key contributor to enhancing Scotland's global competitiveness.

10 Successful regeneration - the lasting transformation for the better of places and communities - is central to achieving the Executive's main goal of sustainable economic growth. It lies at the heart of our programme to build a better Scotland. And, by generating growth and employment, it has a real contribution to make to tackling the poverty and disadvantage that blights our most deprived communities and thus our commitment to Closing the Opportunity Gap. Transport has a vital role in this by connecting people and places to economic and other opportunities. Our recently published Regeneration Policy Statement outlines our approach to this task. It defines the regeneration challenge; highlights the scale and scope of the Executive's investment in transport in Scotland since devolution; and looks at the experience of regeneration in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and identifies some of the critical success factors. It also sets out the new approach we intend to take to improve the alignment of key private and public sector players; maximise the impact of public and private sector investment in specific places, including investment in transport; focus our efforts on a small number of strategic geographical priorities - in the Clyde Corridor, across Ayrshire and in Inverclyde; support tightly targeted action to regenerate our most deprived neighbourhoods; tackle land issues which can inhibit regeneration; and create mixed and vibrant communities.

Policy on environment and health

11 The Scottish Sustainable Development Strategy, Choosing our Future⁴³, covers more than just environmental issues: it sets out our approach in Scotland to delivering the UK framework principles of living within environmental limits; ensuring a strong, healthy and just society; achieving a sustainable economy; promoting good governance; and using sound science responsibly.

12 The revision of the Scottish Climate Change Programme ⁴⁴, published in March 2006, sets out how we will address the threat of global warming, and the Energy Efficiency Strategy will set out how measures to be more energy efficient in all sectors can make a measurable difference to our greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of the supply of energy, Securing a Renewable Future: Scotland's Renewable Energy⁴⁵ set out our commitment to a wide range of renewable energy technologies as part of efforts to tackle climate change and as a measure to promote economic growth, particularly in remote areas.

13 A number of strategies tackle health issues. The UK Air Quality Strategy ⁴⁶ sets out the short to medium term policy framework for air quality in Scotland and the rest of the UK. The Physical Activity Strategy⁴⁷ provides a long-term (20 year) approach which aims to ensure that 50% of all adults and 80% of all children meet the minimum recommended levels of physical activity by 2022. The Action Plan for Improving Health in Scotland: the Challenge⁴⁸, the Executive's health improvement strategy, sets out a range of practical measures to improve health overall. As set out in Ministers' response to the Kerr report, Delivering for Health⁴⁹, issues to do with linkages between transport and health are addressed in this Strategy. We are involving, engaging and consulting the public on significant changes to healthcare provision.

Policy on social inclusion, closing the opportunity gap

14 Our Closing the Opportunity Gap⁵⁰ approach aims to prevent individuals and families from falling into poverty; provide routes out of poverty for individuals and families; and sustain individuals and families in a lifestyle free from poverty. There are six Closing the Opportunity Gap objectives. Transport can make a particularly strong contribution to three of these: on employability, regeneration and rural disadvantage. There are 10 targets within the overall objectives, five of which have the strongest links to transport. The relevant objectives and targets are set out below:

• To increase the chances of sustained employment for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups - in order to lift them permanently out of poverty. An Employability Framework for Scotland is currently being developed which supports the delivery of targets A and B:
  • Target A: reduce the number of workless people dependent on Department for Work and Pensions benefits in Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire by 2007 and by 2010.
  • Target B: reduce the proportion of 16-19 year olds who are not in education, training or employment by 2008.
  • Target G: By 2007 ensure that at least 50% of all "looked after" young people leaving care have entered education, employment or training.
• To regenerate the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods - in order that people living there can take advantage of job opportunities and improve their quality of life:
  • Target J: promote community regeneration of the most deprived neighbourhoods, through improvements by 2008 in employability, education, health, access to local services, and quality of the local environment; and
• To improve access to high quality services for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in rural communities - in order to improve their quality of life and enhance their access to opportunity:
  • Target H: by 2008, improve service delivery in rural areas so that agreed improvements to accessibility and quality are achieved for key services in remote and disadvantaged communities.

Planning

15 With very clear importance to the planning of transport infrastructure, the National Planning Framework⁵¹ sets out a framework to guide Scotland's spatial development to 2025, identifying areas where co-ordinated action is needed in the national interest. It is due for refresh on a four-yearly cycle.

16 The National Planning Framework is intended to take on a new status and role as part of a major programme of modernisation to the planning system in Scotland. The Planning White Paper Modernising the Planning System⁵² set out how we would place development plans firmly at the heart of the planning system; ensure that the planning system is fit for purpose; encourage greater efficiency in development plan preparation and the determination of planning applications; make it easier for people to get involved in planning; and recognise planning's role in delivering sustainable development. We have brought forward legislation in the current Parliamentary session.

17 Some other specific transport and planning publications of note are:

• Scottish Planning Policy 17: Planning for Transport⁵³
• Planning Advice Note 75: Planning for Transport⁵⁴
• Transport Assessment and Implementation: A Guide⁵⁵
• Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance ( STAG) ⁵⁶

Cross-cutting policies

18 Rural development policy, particularly Rural Scotland - A New Approach⁵⁷ is a critical input to this strategy in terms of determining our priorities for rural areas.

19 The broadband strategy aims to deliver affordable and pervasive broadband access in Scotland, as well as encouraging take-up. There have been a number of initiatives to support this objective, most recently the procurement and contract award to deliver broadband to every community by the end of 2005 - an objective which has now been met. The improved coverage of this technology can increase the scope to tele-work and potentially contribute to traffic reduction/reduced congestion.

20 The Scottish Executive recently launched its consultation on the development of the Strategy for a Scotland with an Ageing Population. The Strategy aims to provide a framework that includes access to opportunities for older people to make a continuing contribution; effecive integrated services for older people; promoting and maintaining health and well-being; and people living in accommodation and environments which contrive to meet their needs and wishes as they age. The final strategy will be published by the end of 2006.

EU/international context and initiatives

21 This Strategy sits within the context of the EU's common transport policy. Transport policy plays a major role in strengthening the economic and social cohesion of the European Union and environmental issues are increasingly integrated in the development of EU transport policies. The European Commission's White Paper European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide⁵⁸(September 2001) set out 60 or so proposed measures covering the following areas:

• Completing the Trans-European Network;
• Improving links between transport modes;
• Promoting passengers' rights;
• Making safety a priority, particularly road safety;
• Preventing congestion and removing bottlenecks;
• Towards sustainable mobility - shifting the balance between modes;
• Towards harmonised taxation of fuel for commercial road transport;
• Towards the internalisation of external costs;
• Ensuring a high quality of transport services in Europe;
• Utilising Galileo, Europe's radionavigation system for traffic management; and
• Managing globalisation.

22 At the European level the NTS must also take account of the environmental effects of transport. In this context the European Climate Change Programme is relevant to the NTS. The first European Climate Change Programme ( ECCP I) was launched in 2000 and followed in October 2005 by a second programme ( ECCP II). This second programme will build on ECCP I and devise new emission-cutting policies to address the continued upward trend in greenhouse gas emissions. This is expected to lead to a stronger focus on addressing transport related emissions and more support for carbon capture and storage, with three working groups to be established on aviation, road transport and carbon capture.

23 There are a number of EU regulations that govern a range of transport matters including:

• Market regulation particularly of aviation, shipping and road and rail freight;
• Harmonisation/mutual recognition of technical standards for vehicles, fuels, driving licences, etc.; and
• Harmonisation of working conditions, such as professional drivers' hours.

24EU law must also be taken into account in a number of other areas by government at national, regional or local level. Firstly, where a public body gives money to support transport infrastructure or services, in some cases such financial support can be considered as "state aid" which may not be compatible with EU law because of inappropriate distortions in the market at European level. In particular, in the road and rail freight, aviation (including airports) and maritime (including ports) sectors, the type and amounts of funding that can be given to transport companies, and the way in which the recipient of such funding is selected, is subject to such constraints. However, it remains possible financially to support the transport sector to some extent, provided the appropriate rules are adhered to. Secondly, certain transport activities must be appropriately opened to transport companies from any EU member state, such as ferry services and international rail freight services. Thirdly, public bodies offering contracts for certain transport activities ( e.g. building of infrastructure) must comply with the relevant EU public procurement legislation.

25 In addition, a number of other EU policies and initiatives have an impact on transport policy and operations. These include:

• Lisbon agenda to make the EU the most competitive economy in the world;
• Gothenburg commitment to sustainable development;
• Proposed European Emissions Trading Programme;
• EU vehicle manufacturers' voluntary agreements;
• European Road Safety Action Plan;
• Transport Trans-European Networks and the T-Tens investment programme; and
• EC air quality Directives.

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