Rural Fuel Discount Scheme Amendment

That the Parliament notes the disproportionately high cost of fuel in the remote and rural parts of Scotland where cars are a necessity not a luxury; further notes the undue burden that this puts on the social and economic life of these areas and calls on the Scottish Executive to indicate its support for the “rural fuel discount scheme” amendment to the UK Government’s Finance Bill to benefit people in remote areas by allowing fuel duty be cut by up to 2.4 pence per litre, which is in line with EU law and already used in rural France, Portugal and Greece, but not in the UK, and believes that this would make a real difference to people in rural areas who face high fuel costs, greater driving distances and little or no public transport.