Plenary, 02 Oct 2003

Meeting date: Thursday, October 2, 2003

Official Report 610KB pdf

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Private Escorting of Abnormal Loads

The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-326, in the name of Margaret Mitchell, on private escorting of abnormal loads. This debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament recognises the importance to the Scottish economy of the ability of the haulage industry to safely and efficiently transport abnormal loads on Scotland's road network; notes the present difficulties being experienced by the industry in relation to the operation of police escorts for HGVs carrying abnormal loads; believes that the use of private escorting services which operate in parts of England would improve the efficiency of the haulage industry and reduce the burden on our police force, and considers that the Scottish Executive should facilitate this in consultation with chief constables, police boards and Her Majesty's Government.

I am grateful that this time slot for members' business gives me the opportunity to raise this important issue. The use of private escorting during movement of abnormal loads would impact on and have consequences—all positive—for police resources, the efficiency of the haulage industry and the performance of the Scottish economy.

At present, police escorts are the norm in Scotland, whereas in England and other parts of the United Kingdom private escorts are used. The use of the police as the only means of escorting abnormal loads is not efficient, for either the police or the hauliers. It can result in drivers and crew being on duty and waiting around for hours on end without knowing exactly when they can set off. Of the hours on duty, only a relatively small percentage will involve actual driving time, because drivers have to wait until the police have dealt with the pressures of rush-hour traffic, or dealt with commitments as a result of having to implement some national campaign—such as a campaign on wearing seatbelts, or a campaign of spot checks on drink driving—or dealt with delays because of some incident such as a major road accident. That means that the hauliers have to cover the cost of having a crew on standby, waiting until the police are free to escort them.

It is clear that that cost—combined with the rise in fuel prices and the cost of the imminent introduction of the working time directive—cannot be sustained indefinitely by the industry without its either passing the cost on to the consumer by means of an increased price for goods or, in the worst-case scenario, going to the wall.

Scottish manufacturers, who are already reeling from economic pressures, are particularly concerned about the high cost of transportation undermining their ability to compete in Europe, the rest of the world and even in the home market. Furthermore, the Government's programme on renewable energy is in danger of being knocked off track if huge wind turbines—a source of alternative energy—cannot be escorted and delivered on time. It costs approximately £6,000 a day to hire the plant to erect wind turbines and an additional £4,000 a day to pay for the construction team. That works out at a staggering £10,000 a day that could be lost if there is any delay in delivery of the turbines. It is therefore not difficult to see that the issue of police escorts versus private escorts has major implications for the Scottish economy.

By contrast, private escorts will ensure that loads will be delivered to the marketplace more quickly and that the industry will be spared the additional problems and costs that are associated with the delays in the provision of police escorting services.

Crucially, the use of private escorts frees up police and releases experienced officers for normal police duties. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland acknowledged that in relation to the contracting out of court services to private escorts, which has resulted in the release of 300 police officers. At a time when policing levels dominate the law and order debate and the need for increased police numbers is widely recognised as a potentially major factor in restoring confidence in the criminal justice system, the chairman of ACPOS has made the valid point that the use of private escorting in court services—transport of prisoners and so on—releases fully trained and experienced officers. That contrasts favourably with increasing policing by recruiting new individuals, who have to be trained before they can assume their responsibilities, which entails delay in the provision of police officers and has cost implications. Therefore, it is encouraging that ACPOS is to set up a working party to look into the whole issue; members of the Road Haulage Association will form part of the group.

If private escorting is to be established in Scotland, the working party will need to determine a national policy that involves not just the police, but local authorities and other organisations. A national policy would include practical guidelines that cover the operation of the escort process. It would address escort vehicle positioning, taking into account load speed and size, and would specify the maximum size or weight of a load that could qualify for private escort.

Of course, safety would remain paramount. The haulage industry assumes that the police would retain responsibility for escorting very large, heavy and slow-moving vehicles. The industry has a good record of safety throughout the United Kingdom; a recent example of its ability to cope responsibly with private escorting was when, because of a shortage of police, Ken Livingstone, as mayor of London, withdrew all police officers from escorting abnormal loads and diverted them to crime prevention. The hauliers were instructed to arrange their own private escorts. That shocked the industry, which was concerned about the safety implications with regard to traffic congestion in London. However, those fears have proved to be unfounded and the introduction of private escorting has proved to be a success.

In conclusion, private escorting operates successfully in America and throughout Europe. The creation of a working party by ACPOS is a welcome and necessary first step on the road—please forgive the pun—to the introduction of a policy for private escorting of abnormal loads in Scotland. I look forward to reading the report on the recommendations, which is due to be published in November.

I hope that today's debate will clarify the issues and crystallise the case in favour of introducing a private escorting policy, which will have tremendous benefits for the Scottish economy, the haulage industry and—by no means least—the police, by ensuring that more officers are available for operational duty to combat crime.

If I am to call all the members who have requested to speak in the debate, I will have to impose a time limit of 15 minutes per speech.

I congratulate the member on her motion. In our much-maligned institution, members' business debates have the important role of allowing the discussion and airing of matters that might appear on the surface to be of relatively minor importance, but which in fact have significance for sections of the community; indeed, they might even have significance for the whole community without its realising that.

Mrs Mitchell has done a service in securing a debate on a matter that I know to be of concern to the haulage industry and to those on whom it impacts. She will have heard from constituents about the difficulties that they have had in transporting heavy goods and abnormal loads; such difficulties have also been narrated to me. It is unacceptable for it to take days to move abnormal loads from central Lanarkshire to the south coast of England. That impacts not only on the haulier who is moving the load but on those dispatching it and—perhaps more important—those who receive it. Such a situation slows up the wheels of commerce and industry and impacts not only on the road haulage industry but on our society's economic life.

We must take cognisance not only of what senior police officers say but of what the Scottish Police Federation says. The federation's worry about private escorting is that the police will have to attend if anything goes amiss or awry. However, I find that a disingenuous argument. Nightclubs have bouncers, but we expect police to attend if an incident escalates and becomes serious. We recognise that it is often in the best interests of licensed premises to have private security but that it is certainly not in the best interests of society to put a police officer outside all licensed premises. We simply cannot do that.

We should recognise that, in a much more complicated world, it may be possible to outsource the escorting of abnormal loads to a private contractor. We should consider the matter closely. As Mrs Mitchell correctly said, we must ensure that there are guidelines and that those guidelines are uniform across local authorities and police forces. Most important, we should recognise that the escorting of certain abnormal loads should remain within the jurisdiction of the police.

However, we must accept that the status quo is not acceptable and that we cannot go on as we are. There must be a method of driving forward the proposal for private escorting services. That is why the discussion between senior police officers and others should be taken into account. We should perhaps monitor what is happening south of the border and take cognisance of what the Highways Agency is doing. Given the interaction that takes place—for example, loads that start their journey on the M74 will impact on the M6—it would be ludicrous not to consider what direction the Highways Agency is taking on the issue.

The motion deals with an important issue, although it might not appear to be so—as the poor turnout for the debate seems to bear out. However, the issue is fundamental not only for the haulage industry but for all our society. Mrs Mitchell is to be congratulated on driving forward the issue. As I said at the outset, perhaps our Parliament should occasionally give itself a pat on the back for allowing matters that might not have any other outlet or means of ventilation to be debated in members' business debates.

I hope that the minister takes cognisance of what Mrs Mitchell said about the on-going discussions. I hope that he can ensure that we can debate the issue and try to work out what is in the best interests not only of the hauliers and the police but of broader society. Again, I congratulate Mrs Mitchell on her motion. Those who have not partaken of the debate have missed out and will perhaps realise in due course the importance of what has been discussed.

It is good to have the opportunity to speak in a members' business debate in which one can be consensual. In the previous such debate in which I participated, I managed to fall out with two of the constituency members from my region. It is good, for once, to be able to agree with Kenny MacAskill, which I rarely find myself able to do.

Margaret Mitchell has presented an issue that is important, particularly for those of us who travel on the M74; frequently, we see large vehicles waiting below Beattock summit, which is the crossover point between the Dumfries and Galloway and Strathclyde police areas and the place where police escorts often change over. Clearly, in terms of the continuation and efficiency of the haulage vehicles' journeys, such waiting is wasteful; it is also wasteful of police time.

This afternoon I spoke to David Strang, the chief constable of Dumfries and Galloway constabulary. He is quite clear that the force could be much better deployed in other areas. He does not believe—and many police officers in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom do not believe this—that the presence of a police escort contributes in any way to safety or ease of transit.

It is clear from the points that Margaret Mitchell and the Road Haulage Association have made that other arrangements that would be more beneficial to the haulage industry and the police force could be put in place easily. I hope that the Deputy Minister for Justice will respond positively to those points.

Not realising that Mr Henry rather than Mr Stephen would be here this evening, I had intended to spend the rest of my 25 minutes discussing the outrageous closing of Langholm High Street during the Langholm common riding and the charges that the Scottish Executive now wishes people to bear through a lack of concern over the throughput of transport. I will save Mr Henry from that interesting issue, although he is most welcome to come and see the Langholm common riding.

I support Margaret Mitchell's motion whole-heartedly and hope that the minister will comment in a similarly positive vein.

In addition to congratulating Margaret Mitchell on securing the debate, we should pay tribute to her powers of persuasion because she managed to get eight Conservative members—apart from you, Presiding Officer—into the chamber for a members' business debate. That must be something of a record.

As Kenny MacAskill said, the issue that Margaret Mitchell has raised is, on the face of it, not a huge or obvious one. However, it has significant consequences for the haulage industry in Scotland and significant implications for our economy. It also has huge implications for police services. A vast amount of resources are tied up to ensure safe and efficient transportation. We clearly need to take the issue seriously and we are aware of the arguments that have been made in the debate.

Earlier this year, Scottish Executive officials set up a joint working group with ACPOS to consider the functions that are undertaken by the police and the Executive in dealing with the operation and management of trunk roads in Scotland. The management of the movement of abnormal indivisible loads is one of the issues that the group has been considering.

Officials have also been following closely the changes that have taken place south of the border, where some forces have, as Margaret Mitchell indicated, already withdrawn from providing escorting services and some private escorting has taken place on a limited basis. Officials have also been in contact with their opposite numbers in the Highways Agency, who have been developing a draft code of practice to govern private escorting.

I recognise that the introduction of private escorting could have significant benefits for the police, as it would allow resources to be concentrated on tackling crime, which should be the police's priority. In 2002, in the Strathclyde police area alone, there were almost 25,000 movements, of which almost 2,500 required a police escort. That is a staggering number of journeys and staggering numbers of police and police hours are involved. When those figures are projected across the whole country, it is obvious that huge amounts of staff and finance are tied up. We recognise the benefits for the police and for the haulage industry of providing the industry with a more responsive, flexible and reliable service.

David Mundell very ably made a point about loads having to sit in one spot waiting for a changeover. That clearly makes no sense. In fact, it is probably more of a hazard for loads to come off the road to stop and wait. It is in everyone's interest that the journey is unhindered and unimpeded.

In order to develop our thinking on how best to deal with the issue, ACPOS and the Executive have set up a working group specifically to consider it. The group, which will also include interests from the haulage industry, proposes to report its findings before the end of November. However, if there is to be a move in the direction of private escorting, road safety has to be paramount. Although there may be financial benefits, the reason for doing anything would not be financially driven. Working group members will have road safety at the forefront of their thoughts.

A number of other significant issues have to be considered, such as the training and accreditation of private sector staff who undertake such work, and the rules governing the management of traffic, because there are huge implications for other road traffic users and for the communities through which wide loads move. It is possible that changes to legislation will be required, which will be considered if and when any changes occur. The group will also try to work closely with the Highways Agency to develop a code of practice. It would be advantageous to the industry if one set of rules covered the whole of the United Kingdom, so that some of the problems that exist at Beattock summit would not exist at the crossover from England into Scotland.

Finally, I make it clear that we have an open mind on the matter. If a robust case can be made for private escorting, which guarantees no diminution in road safety and which fulfils all the other criteria that have been mentioned, we will welcome its introduction because, as I said, we foresee benefits for the industry and the police. However, it is not a change that we can leap into in a haphazard fashion. Any such change would need to be well organised and properly managed, and must, I repeat, have at its heart road safety and safe transportation.

The topic is worth considering. Margaret Mitchell has done us a service in highlighting it. I hope that we will be able to have another discussion—probably with my colleague Nicol Stephen—once the working group has produced its report and we can see what conclusions can be drawn.

Meeting closed at 17:23.