Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - National Concessionary Travel Scheme
3. Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration was given to the recognition of bus passes across the United Kingdom in its review of the national concessionary travel scheme. (S3O-6594)
The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):
The review of the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people is almost complete and we expect the report of the review to be published early in May. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the report and its wider considerations at this time.
Jim Tolson: I welcome the minister's statement that mutual recognition of bus passes throughout the UK has been considered by the Government's review of the concessionary travel scheme, which is due to report back imminently. Can he confirm that the stakeholders who were consulted during the consultation process included various user groups? Mutual recognition of bus passes throughout the UK would be of great benefit to people such as my constituent, Graham Chandler, whose parents, who reside in England, plan frequent trips to Scotland to assist their son with child care.
Stewart Stevenson: It is clear that an extension of the free bus travel scheme and the reciprocity that would have to be part of that could deliver benefits. Indeed, I have been in correspondence with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on the subject, in which they have a shared interest.
However, the schemes in the different jurisdictions are very different. The one in England is essentially a local, off-peak scheme. It is relatively new and some difficulties are still being experienced. The member will need to wait just a little bit longer for our final determination on the subject.
Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): Does the Government have plans to follow the Labour Government at Westminster by withdrawing many travel concessions from those who are entitled to them?
Stewart Stevenson: I think that I have said on a previous occasion that we intend to augment the free bus travel scheme by extending it to cover disabled ex-servicemen. It is certainly not our intention to impose restrictions or to reduce the concessions that have been made available in the past.
