Introduction
Purpose of consultation
Scotland’s National Transport Strategy 2 (NTS2) sets out the vision for Scotland’s transport system to the year 2040. The NTS2 outlines the four priorities for Scotland’s transport system as follows:
- Reduces inequalities;
- Takes climate action;
- Helps deliver inclusive economic growth; and
- Improves our health and wellbeing.
The first annual NTS2 Delivery Plan (for 2020 to 2022) sets out strategic policies and the broad actions the Scottish Government (SG) is taking to deliver on the NTS2’s vision and priorities to the end of March 2022, taking account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impact assessments are being undertaken by AECOM on 37 strategic policies within the first NTS2 Delivery Plan. The impact assessments are:
- Social and Equality Impact Assessment (SEQIA (incorporating an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA), Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA), Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA);
- Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA);
- Health Inequality Impact Assessment (HIIA); and
- Business Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA).
Impact assessment screening reports were produced in October 2021 and published for consultation from November 2021 to January 2022. This report provides a summary of the consultation responses and feedback relating to the BRIA screening reports. A separate report has been produced outlining the responses relating to the SEQIA, ICIA and HIIA. The feedback and findings of the consultation presented in this report will contribute towards completing the full BRIA on the first NTS2 Delivery Plan.
BRIA requirements
Business and regulatory impact assessments (BRIAs) help to assess the likely costs, benefits and risks of any proposed primary or secondary legislation, voluntary regulation, codes of practice, guidance or policy changes that may have an impact on the public, private or third sector organisations. The BRIA process requires engagement from businesses, trade associations and business organisations to ensure that the assessment of these potential impacts is accurate.
SG recommends and encourages the completion of a BRIA as best practice to assess the impact of new legislation, as well as other changes such as voluntary guidance or policy changes, even where they do not necessarily present additional obvious burdens. In such cases, BRIA can either help confirm understanding that the change will not result in an impact or will identify and address unintended impacts which have not been identified.
The content of a BRIA should be proportionate to the problem involved and the size of the proposal. A BRIA Toolkit and Template have been developed to provide guidance and information.
In order to ensure that the views of the business community are gathered and taken account of within the NTS2 Delivery Plan, Transport Scotland undertook a period of consultation between November 2021 and January 2022 on the BRIA Screening Report, which has been produced to accompany the NTS2 Delivery Plan.