Scottish Executive: an overview of the performance of transport in Scotland 

Leon: Hello, this is Leon Thomson.  I’m joined by Phil Grigor and Graeme Greenhill to talk about the latest Audit Scotland report An overview of the performance of transport in Scotland. So, Graeme, why have you prepared this report?

Graeme:  The Auditor General has produced overview reports in the past on the NHS, further education sector and the water industry.  This report extends the principle of overview reporting into the other main area where he has audit responsibility – namely the Scottish Executive.  As such it is intended to contribute to the development of public performance reporting.  We chose the transport area as the first area of the Scottish Executive to produce an overview report on because it offered us the opportunity to provide a report which could be used by the newly created Transport Scotland to develop how it approaches its responsibilities.

Leon:  OK, so tell us a bit about what you’ve found.

Graeme:  The main message is that the Executive has performed well against most of its transport targets – for example – it is on course to meet targets to increase the numbers of rail passengers, use of bus services is increasing and user satisfaction is high and it has also achieved targets to reduce the number of serious and fatal road accidents ahead of schedule.  But there is also a lot riding on the new national transport strategy which is expected to be published later in 2006.  This strategy will guide transport policy formulation and investment over the next 20 years and it’s important the Executive develops performance measures which enable progress against the strategy to be measured.  

Leon: Phil, is this a good or a bad report?

Phil:  It’s good news for the Executive in that we have found that it had clear transport objectives and targets and that it’s on track to make most of these targets but some targets don’t fully assess the extent to which the objectives are being met.  For example, the targets to measure transport’s contribution to promoting economic growth are only proxy measures, by which I mean, increasing the number of rail passengers or reducing road congestion which don’t really tell whether the objective is being met.  

Leon:  And looking ahead, what is the biggest challenge facing the Executive on transport?

Phil: The Executive faces a significant challenge in developing a sustainable transport network which strikes the right balance between maximising the benefits of transport’s contribution to the promotion of economic growth and social inclusion while minimising the problems of congestion and environmental damage.  A key factor in striking this balance is the provision of an integrated transport system which provides a genuine alternative to using the private car.  

Leon: Phil and Graeme, thank-you very much.