Chamber and committees

I will ask briefly about biodiversity and national infrastructure. There is a commitment in NPF4 on local nature networks. I think that the understanding is that every local authority will develop its own local nature network. I will start with Bruce Wilson. What is the difference between that and having a national nature network in respect of its status in planning? What is the difference between that and what you are looking for in the NPF?

You are talking about co-ordination. I am imagining a catchment such as the Forth, multiple local authorities, maybe different landscape initiatives, and different ecological networks. I am trying to get my head around what the qualitative difference is in defining that as a national development in NPF4. The Government could turn around and say, “We’ll make sure there is co-ordination, but we don’t really need this as a national development.” What does a national development bring? The CSGN, for example, has been a national development.

Dr Brown, do you have a perspective on what is currently spelled out as a national development for walking, wheeling and cycling?

I want to ask about the bigger picture. We have NPF4, the strategic transport projects review—which has just been announced—the national transport strategy and the budget. Are those all properly aligned? Do they respect the transport hierarchy, or are there some differences or misalignment? I ask Paul White to answer first.

In the past, Transform Scotland has been somewhat critical of Scottish Government budgets in relation to the transport hierarchy and whether what is in the NTS materialises when it comes to spending the cash. Dr Brown, what is your thinking on those critical strategies and capital programmes and on whether they align?

We might have lost Caroline Brown, but she can respond in a future answer. Thank you, convener.

Does Rosie Simpson want to come in on that before I move on to a different topic?

Would you expect that, in any consultation on the introduction of a workplace parking levy, the public would be consulted on their priorities? Would they be able to see that there are alternatives coming down the track and that they will not be lumped with paying the charges for ever, because there will be investment in alternatives?

My question is on the back of Liam Kerr’s comments on local government funding. We have seen dramatically increasing capital budgets for walking, cycling and wheeling infrastructure over a number of years now, but that is delivered via Sustrans to local authorities. It is ring fenced, and local authorities bid for it. This might be an unfair question, but is that the right balance or does more money need to go from those pots directly to local authorities to build the capacity to do the work to build out the plans? Is the current model of delivery via Sustrans the best approach? In effect, we rely on a national charity to deliver a national network.

That is perhaps a hard one for Chiquita Elvin, but I ask her and Caroline Brown whether they have any thoughts to share with us on that.

Chiquita, do you have any thoughts that you can share with us on that?