ONE OF the main opposition groups against tolls over the Forth and Tay has attacked the Scottish Executive after it refused to release details on congestion research.

Transport Minister Tavish Scott cited traffic congestion as one of the main reasons for his decision to retain the controversial changes on the Forth and Tay road bridges.

As a result, anti-tolls group the National Alliance Against Tolls (NAAT) lodged a request with the Scottish Executive to see statistics on which Mr Scott based his claims.

The group believe, particularly on the Tay bridge, that evening traffic is actually being exacerbated by lengthy queues to pay the tolls and therefore asked to see background figures under the Freedom of Information Act.

However, the Executive has since formally contacted NAAT to refuse the demands under section 29 of the act—an exemption relating to information on the formulation or development of Government policy.

Tom Minogue, spokesman for NAAT and an ardent anti-tolls campaigner in Fife, criticised the Executive’s handling of the situation and asked ministers for more openness over the tolls issue.

“Last week the minister (Mr Scott) said that if they were to remove the tolls they would need more facts,” he said.

“But who are we to trust? All the reports and figures that have been produced were only made available after his announcement on the March 1,” he added.

“The reports appear to have been written to give the answer that the Executive wanted. This impression is reinforced by the Executive’s refusal to reveal the brief that they gave setting out what they wanted in the report.

“The Executive are like Scrooge in their tenacity to hold on to these possibly illegal tolls.

“We again ask the councillors and MSPs of Tayside and in Fife to demand that the tolls be removed without further procrastination from the Executive.”

NAAT Scotland asked to see congestion figures for the peak traffic period in the afternoon and also the instructions given to those who were tasked with producing reports.

Congestion information is available on the Transport Model for Scotland website but NAAT argue that those figures are inconclusive and only show peak congestion values during the morning period.

Information on the instructions given to those producing reports does not have to be disclosed by the Scottish Executive due to section 29 in the Freedom of Information Act 2005.

As well as information on the development of Government policy, the exemption also covers ministerial communications, the provision of advice by law officers or the operations of any ministerial office.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive was unavailable for comment on the issue last night, but NAAT has pledged to continue its fight on the matter.