The next petition is PE695, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to ensure that local authorities have affordable, accessible local transport available to disabled people who cannot use public transport and to provide ring-fenced funding to allow local authorities and/or community groups to provide dial-a-ride projects for that purpose.At its meeting on 21 January 2005, the committee agreed to write to the Minister for Transport asking for an update on the Executive's assessment of improved public transport concessions for people with disabilities and whether that would include consideration of the proposals raised by the petition. The committee also agreed to write to the Community Transport Association, seeking its comments on the issues raised by the petition.
Official Report · Committee
Current Petitions
Disabled People (Local Transport) (PE695)
Speakers
Choose an MSP to read only their contributions- Michael McMahon Lab 4
- Sandra White SNP 3
- John Scott Con 2
- Mike Watson Ind 1
The record
10 contributionsI see that there is a letter from Nicol Stephen, but I just wondered whether we could pass the papers on to the Equal Opportunities Committee, which is doing a disability inquiry. The issue of transport, and people being unable to access work and leisure, has figured largely in that inquiry. Could the Executive provide us with an update on its assessment of improved public transport concessions for people with disabilities?
I note from the papers that Jan Goodall has asked for an opportunity to comment on the responses. I assume that we should wait until we hear her response before we decide what further to do.
That is right. I am not sure whether the Equal Opportunities Committee's inquiry is considering this specific issue, but we might want to ask it to consider it. However, as Mike Watson says, we have to wait until we get a response from the petitioner, so that we know all the concerns in respect of the responses.
We have to wait for the petitioner to come back to us with her thoughts. The inquiry concerns anything that affects disabilities. We have been to Dundee and other places, and transport has come up constantly. It would be a good idea to give the papers to the Equal Opportunities Committee. As I am on that committee, I will mention it to the clerk and take the papers along with me.
Is there anything that precludes us from doing both those things? We could ask the petitioner to comment on the progress thus far while at the same time passing the information that we have so far to the Equal Opportunities Committee, given that its investigation is on-going. We will pass the papers for information rather than to add to that committee's workload.
The clerk and Cathy Peattie, the convener, would be interested.
If we sent the papers for information, that would allow us to wait for a response from the petitioner. We can add information as it becomes available.
We have moved the discussion forward. We have to acknowledge the positive letter from the minister, which means that we are doing our work. We should do both those things.
Are members happy with that?Members indicated agreement.
In this meeting
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