Brown denies U turn on air discount scheme
THE SCOTTISH government has firmly denied staging a U turn after allowing non profit organisations to start using the islands’ air discount scheme once again.
However Shetland MSP and former transport minister Tavish Scott has said the government owes voluntary groups an apology and a refund.
Last year transport minister Keith Brown caused an outrage when he blocked all public and private sector organisations from using the popular 40 per cent discount scheme, saving the government £2.7 million a year.
As a result Scottish airline Loganair announced they had suffered a 15 per cent fall in passenger numbers.
The leaders of the Scottish island authorities said ADS had saved them more than £1 million over three years.
The islands’ voluntary sector lobbied the government to be brought back on board the scheme, saying it was being left behind the national agenda.
Mr Brown always insisted it was the European Commission who called for the ADS to be restricted to individuals.
However this was shown to be untrue following a Freedom of Information Act request from Labour MSP David Stewart and follow up questions from Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon.
Speaking in Stornoway on Tuesday, Mr Brown admitted bringing voluntary groups and charities back into the ADS would help them maintain networks and access training opportunities vital for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.
“This initiative takes effect immediately and we hope as many organisations as possible take up this opportunity in the interests of promoting the work of this vital sector and supporting the social wellbeing of the communities they serve,” he said.
However a senior Transport Scotland spokesman said that voluntary groups should never have been allowed to use ADS and that the previous minister had not enforced the scheme actively enough.
Shetland MSP Tavish Scott, who introduced ADS as transport minister in 2006, demanded the government refund the money organisations had lost by being excluded for the past 15 months.
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“In 2006 the European Commission agreed that businesses, voluntary organisations and charities were eligible for ADS and the scheme was fully reinstated by SNP transport minister Stewart Stevenson,” Mr Scott said.
“Then it was changed by the current transport minister for no reason whatsoever and ever since then we have had a pack of lies as to why they changed it.
“Now that voluntary organisations are eligible again the government firstly owes them an apology and then they should be repaid the full fares that those organisations have had to pay for the pas 15 months.”
Voluntary Action Shetland executive officer Catherine Hughson said being allowed the 40 per cent air discount would make a huge difference to the sector.
“We are absolutely delighted that we have got it back because it means that we can now go to meetings and keep up with whatever they are doing on the mainland,” Mrs Hughson said.
“The government says how important it is to have the third sector at the table and then they put a barrier up by taking away ADS.”
Any organisation wishing to take advantage of the scheme can register at PO Box 5715, Inverness, IV1 9AS or at info@airdiscountscheme.com” data-mce-href=”mailto:info@airdiscountscheme.com“>info@airdiscountscheme.com or on freephone 0800 0322890.
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