Scottish Government

MACS Annual Work Programme 2006/07

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• 1.0 Summary
  1.1 Introduction
  1.2 The MACS Main Committee
  1.3 MACS Working Groups
  1.4 Internal & External Stakeholder Consultation
• 2.0 MACS' Vision and Strategic Plan
  2.1 Vision
  2.2 Strategic Aims
  2.3 Long Term Strategy
• 3.0 The Services Working Group
  3.1 Introduction
  3.2 The Services Working Group Action Plan
• 4.0 The Policy & Research Working Group
  4.1 Introduction
  4.2 The Policy & Research Working Group Action Plan
• 5.0 Conclusions
  5.1 Outputs
  5.2 Outcomes
  5.3 Reporting

MACS was set up in 2002 as the Scottish Ministers' statutory advisor on disability issues in relation to transport and transport policy in Scotland.

This document sets out our work priorities for the financial year 2006/07. These are the key tasks which we will undertake in order to work towards the strategic aims set out in Section 2. This document gives details of:

• The MACS Vision
• Strategic aims
• Long term strategy
• Work priorities for 2006/07
• Outputs, outcomes and reporting

Key issues affecting the mobility of, and transport for, disabled people in Scotland are considered by the MACS Main Committee. The Main Committee will meet twelve times in full session during 2006/07 and liaise directly with the Scottish Transport Minister and Scottish Executive officials. The Main Committee will make detailed recommendations to Scottish Ministers resulting from:

• Internal discussions
• Internal and external research
• Meetings with disabled people
• Meetings with external stakeholders
• Discussions with local and national politicians
• Discussions with the passenger transport industry

In order to make best use of the expertise and experience of members, and to allow us to work more strategically, we will also channel our work through two Working Groups in addition to our Main Committee and our consultation activities. Each Working Group will meet twelve times during the year.

The Working Groups are:

• Services Working Group
• Policy and Research Working Group

Sections 3 and 4 of this document set out the issues each group will focus on during 2006/07 in order to ensure progress towards our strategic aims. It should be noted however that there is potential cross over on some issues between the two Working Groups and links across some areas of work.

In addition to the specific work tasks carried out via our formal Working Groups, MACS will work towards its strategic aims through membership of, and consultation with, a wide range of other key stakeholders. During 2006/07 this will include significant input by MACS members and secretariat staff on:

• Consultation documents from the Scottish Executive and others
• National, Regional and Local Transport Strategies
• The Disability Rights Commission Code of Practice on Transport
• Disability Equality Duty
• The recommendations contained in MACS independently commissioned research into alternative methods for assessing eligibility for concessionary travel

Working in partnership with the Scottish Executive, transport operators, disability groups, local authorities, voluntary organisations and others, MACS strives to raise awareness of the interventions required in order to remove barriers to travel and improve mobility and access for disabled people.

This is the long-term outcome which all of MACS' work is designed to bring about, and it states that:

In furtherance of the above vision MACS has a number of key strategic aims which it will pursue:1. To give Scottish Ministers advice on aspects of policy affecting the travel needs of disabled people.

2. To take account of the broad views and experiences of disabled people when giving advice.

3. To encourage awareness amongst disabled people in Scotland of developments which affect their mobility, choices and opportunities.

4. To work closely with the Scottish Executive and ensure our work programme complements the work being undertaken by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), the Scottish Office of the Disability Rights Commission and other organisations, voluntary and statutory agencies.

5. To promote the travel needs of disabled people with transport planners and operators so that these are fully taken into account in the delivery of services.

6. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our work against the above aims and objectives in improving travel opportunities for disabled people in Scotland.

In order to ensure that our advice to Scottish Ministers and the other work which we undertake is clearly focussed on the long term vision we have adopted, our key tasks are concentrated on five specific themes. These are:

1. Ensuring that all travel information is accurate and accessible.

2. Removing barriers to the accessibility of public transport services and infrastructure.

3. The identification and promotion of best practice in all areas of public transport provision.

4. Ensuring that all public transport staff undergo appropriate disability equality and awareness training.

5. Ensuring that public transport networks make full use of all potential service providers and that transport options are in place for people who cannot get to or use conventional public transport services.

The Services Working Group will gather information and consult on issues relating to passenger transport services. These services will include scheduled bus, rail, air and ferry services and non-scheduled services such as demand responsive transport, community transport services, taxi services, group transport services, voluntary car schemes and door-to-door systems. This group will also address issues relating to the environment (e.g. Home Zones and Shared Spaces/Surfaces, Road Planning Consent etc). Detailed advice to Scottish Ministers, transport planners, policy makers and transport operators will be produced on a wide range of issues relating to transport services for disabled people.

Particular actions which will be prioritised by the Services Working Group are detailed below:

3.2.1 We will work with rail operators and policy makers on accessibility to rail services and infrastructure in order to ensure that the needs of disabled people are clearly understood. This will include:

• Working in partnership with First Scotrail, Transport Scotland, the Scottish Executive and the Department for Transport to ensure that funding available to operators is directed at the stations where it will maximise mobility for disabled passengers.
• Seeking to advance accessibility of trains prior to the deadline of 2020 set by the UK government.
• Advising Scottish Ministers on policy options that will maximise the accessibility of rail services to disabled people.

3.2.2 In the light of current and future Scottish Executive research findings we will:

• Explore the potential to assist disabled people to access/acquire flexible personal transport and/or taxi facilities and present our findings to Scottish Ministers.
• Review and report on the relative impact of statutory travel concessions schemes (i.e. Scottish Executive free national bus travel) and voluntary travel concession schemes (e.g. taxi- card).

3.2.3 We will investigate how transport is delivered within health and community services.

• We will monitor the move towards pooling of Health and Social Services transport resources to meet the needs of the people with mobility difficulties within the community. This will include advice to Scottish Ministers on appropriate policy interventions which will maximise the benefit of integrated local authority transport services to disabled people.

3.2.4 The Services Working Group will also continue a number of ongoing initiatives such as:

• Continuing to develop its knowledge base and review MACS' position statements in relation to all modes of transport.
• Working in partnership with CPT to look at the feasibility of developing guidance for operators/users regarding wheelchairs and scooters that can be carried on buses.
• Contributing to the work of DPTAC by ensuring that the recommendations from the review of the DPTAC guidance on the design of large passenger ships and passenger infrastructure to meet the needs of disabled people are disseminated and taken forward in Scotland.
• Contributing to the work of DPTAC on the review and updating of guidance on ferry terminals to cover all sizes of operation.
• Monitoring developments in relation to the pedestrian environment, in particular Home Zones and Shared Spaces/Surfaces.
• Monitoring transport planning in relation to the inclusion of transport provision for disabled people associated with Glasgow's bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

The Policy and Research Working Group will focus its work on transport strategy, policy, planning and research; consulting with disabled people, stakeholders and government (both local and national). We will advise Scottish Ministers on the development of policies that will increase the degree of access, mobility and choice available to disabled people.

Particular actions which will be prioritised by the Policy and Research Working Group are detailed below:

4.2.1 We will compare SE Research Improved Public Transport for Disabled People with the MACS Route Map:

• We will identify and report on gaps in the research and the target areas where more work needs to be carried out. Through regular briefings and meetings we will advise Scottish Ministers and SE officials on policy and strategy areas which need to be prioritised.

4.2.2 We will review other available evidence base and advise Scottish Ministers and SE staff on issues which require further research where there are gaps and needs. Where appropriate, we will work in partnership with other stakeholders including:

• Disabled people's representative organisations.
• The Confederation of Passenger Transport.
• The Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers.
• Academic and commercial research institutes.

4.2.3 We will Interface with Transport Scotland, the Regional Transport Partnerships and other Scottish and UK government agencies. In particular, this work will involve:

• Monitoring and reporting on the extent to which national and regional transport strategies include appropriate consideration of accessibility requirements.
• Promoting the needs of disabled people to these agencies and assist them in devising passenger transport services and strategies to meet their travel requirements.
• Monitoring developments relating to the Disability Rights Commission consultation on the definition of disability and the possible implications of the widening of this definition.

4.2.4 We will identify key policy stakeholders that MACS and disabled people need to work with and to influence in order to realise our vision. This will involve:

• External dialogue; we will continue to engage with a wide range of groups and individuals from Scotland and further afield in order to ensure that our work, research and advice to Ministers is focussed, relevant, and not limited.
• Increasing the scope and depth of internal debate; we will co-opt additional members onto the Working Group if required in order to ensure that the Working Group includes the most diverse range of opinions.

The work programme set out in the preceding sections is structured in order to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time related. Each of the proposed actions can be monitored and the results identified and reported to Scottish Ministers during or at the end of 2006/07. The MACS secretariat will collate the outputs on an ongoing basis for report and review at each of the Main Committee meetings held during the year.

MACS' work is intended to increase the level of accessibility to transport for disabled people in Scotland in order to reduce the barriers which adversely affect their mobility, choice and independence. Progress towards these outcomes can be measured through the outputs discussed above. MACS will monitor progress towards these outcomes and continue to strive for their achievement in the coming and future years.

The structure of this work programme will form the basis of a reporting mechanism which will enable MACS to ensure that disabled people, Scottish Ministers and key stakeholders are kept up to date and aware of our progress. It will also form the basis of a feedback loop which we will use to evaluate our performance in pursuit of our strategic aims.

Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland
March 2006

This document is available in alternative formats on request. Please call 01383 749548 or e-mail macs@macs-mobility.org.