ADS approved
With only a few days to go, ADS has received approval by the European Parliament and can continue until 2011.Excellent news with continuing 40% discounts on flights (before taxes), but why did it have to be left to the last moment?
The countdown banner is being removed, but kept to make a return in three years.
16 comments:
An all to obvious attempt to deflect from the shitstorm over the RET scheme.
That is a relief, as it does make a difference to businesses here. Though I try and do as much as possible online, in the last 3 years and 3 months have flown outside the UK 7 times, and have to make other UK mainland trips, for work as well.
It's a pity it couldn't have been at the 50% level, but half a cake is better than no cake. Plane tickets, with ADS, are merely expensive, as opposed to exhorbitant without :-)
That reminds me. Before ADS, it cost me more (in 2005) to get from Berneray to Glasgow, than it did to do the second leg of the trip - from Glasgow to San Francisco. Bit of a sore point at the time.
Could the delay be possibly be something to do with the overly bureaucratic EU, or maybe the fact that the Govt. needed a certain piece of legislation called the budget to pass to ensure the funding was in place before the application could be accepted?
"with only a few days to go", been attending the Nu Lab school of negative spin I see.. sure there is something you're not telling us...
Point is new legislation meant they could have pushed for 50%.
Now when I had the misfortune to listen to AA during the election he claimed ADS was a poor effort at a discount scheme.
These two points do not add up. Surely the MWT hero should have pressed for the 50% mark if he believed the current scheme to be insufficent?
More lies and broken promises.
I dont understand how on one hand a person wishes to be 'green' by promoting wind turbines but then they also want cheap flights.
Remember being at a the Alex Salmond meeting before the last election and what a ripping the ADS got from the Nats. ie: it didn't work, could not get a cheap ticket. Then who pops up and totally agreed with this but AA and oh yes we will do away with the ADS and take in a much better scheme. Yet another broken promise.
Remember being at a the Alex Salmond meeting before the last election and what a ripping the ADS got from the Nats. ie: it didn't work, could not get a cheap ticket. Then who pops up and totally agreed with this but AA and oh yes we will do away with the ADS and take in a much better scheme. Yet another broken promise.
Madrudhach sounds like a broken record....Labout twat.
Madrudhach has obviously got the shakes....have a dram you know you need one or two or three!
It wasn't just at the Salmond meeting that AA rubbshed the ADS scheme- he followed that line at all his public meetings and election statements. Wonder if he uses ADS for his infrequent flights to the Islands?
It appears from the news this morning that his promise to find more finance from his Government to keep S1-S2 open in Point and Uist can be added to the growing list of broken promises.
Maybe AA and ABM are relying on RET to save their skins......
Capt'n Bob
The move to close Bayble and Daliburgh was spearheaded by the Labour guys in the Comhairle. The SNP Group voted to save them.
The Air Discount Scheme which offers lower air fares to the Western Isles and other Scottish islands has been saved with only two weeks before it was due to finish.
Why did our elected leave it so late to renew this important lifeline for the Islanders? Where is the 50% that was promised.
Western Isles MSP, Alasdair Allan, has today received confirmation from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre that the Air Discount Scheme received European Approval on the 14th February 2008 and is due to be continued for another three years from the 1st April 2008.
Approval granted on 14th February and Allan only received confirmation on 21st February a full week later. Where has he been? (Not sure I really want to know) He should have been at the forefront of the campaign pushing the EU to make the decision as quickly as possible and then relaying that decision to the Islanders as soon as it was made.
Mr. Allan said ‘I am very pleased that the European Commission have given their approval to the continuation of the Air Discount Scheme for another three years, which will ensure that Scotland’s island communities receive the continued benefits of 40% discounts on their air fares.
Yes continuation, let's not forget who brought the scheme in, in the first place. Why only another 3 years, why not permanent, oh I know this will give him something to campaign on in 3 years.
This was the last piece of the picture required to ensure that the Scottish Government’s support for Scotland’s island communities is continued through this scheme and I am glad it has progressed without a hitch.
Without a hitch thanks to the pressure brought to bear on him from the residents to ensure it was renewed otherwise I suspect that it would just have lapsed without a "hitch"
Last piece of what picture, what was the first piece. He makes it sound as if he has been working at the forefront of travel for the Island. What else has he done?
Under the SNP Government Scotland’s remote and rural areas continue to benefit.
Lucky us, we continue to benefit from no prospects of jobs as there are no windfarms, 60p per mile on RET when the official rate is 40p per mile, no plan B etc etc etc. I cannot contain my excitement.
Can AA use ADS- does he have a genuine address that qualifies?
Anon 9:48am
that's probably why he was against it as it didn't benefit him personally
Some mixed messages from the Labour posters.
Madrudhagh states that the SNP were against ADS, yet Sunny Side Up claims that the SNP promised a 50% discount on ADS. Which, if either, version of the truth is correct?
Could someone provide some clarification on the following issues arising in this post:
- ADS cannot be offered permanently and must be re-applied for periodically
- the SNP government are delivering RET and have secured the continuation of ADS (which, to their credit, was introduced by the previous Lib/Lab government)
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