Chamber and committees

I am pleased to take part in today’s Scottish Government debate on delivering on active travel commitments and recognising the important investment that our Government is making in our communities and the benefit that it will have to our constituents.

It is the Scottish Government’s aspiration to reduce car kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030, so as we move towards net zero, we need to get people out of their cars and considering other forms of transport. That will need a number of folk to consider active travel for the first time as a serious option for getting around. Increased active travel will also improve people’s wellbeing, and it will contribute to safer, cleaner and healthier communities.

Active travel helps to build healthy habits, which helps to improve the health of our population and reduce the burden on our NHS. Physical inactivity contributes to almost 2,500 deaths in Scotland each year, as Mr Bibby said earlier.

With that in mind, as we move forward, we need to increase the number of adults who follow physical activity guidelines and do 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week. If we can get more folk to cycle or walk regularly, it will potentially reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, improve mental health, and tackle asthma.

Achieving our ambitious carbon reduction targets will require serious investment. It is therefore welcome that the Scottish Government is committed to investing in public transport by spending 10 per cent of the transport budget on active travel by the end of 2024-25.

Recently, I was pleased to attend a walkabout with Sustrans in my constituency of Aberdeen Donside, where we discussed the active travel networks in the city and the difficulties that face local authorities while they are challenging the behaviours of drivers and getting people out of their cars.

It is key that we change habits, and the best way to do that is by ensuring that our young people participate in active travel, as it is then more likely that they will continue to do so into their adult life. The Scottish Government’s commitment to providing free bikes for all children of school age who cannot afford them will make such a difference to so many of my constituents. The benefit of increasing access to bikes for children are obvious. It ensures equality of opportunity in building life skills, confidence and independence, and it can embed healthy and sustainable travel choices into everyday life. Affordable travel will also increase their options in education, work or further training, and ensure that they continue on a journey to a positive destination.

At this point, I want to give a shout-out to a project that is local to me—the Middlefield Community Project. It gives out bikes on long-term loans and it helps the children with the servicing and fixing of those bikes. The project does an awful lot more in my community, but I just want to give it a wee shout-out for that.

We have a long way to go to reach our net zero emissions targets, but if we continue to invest in active travel and in our young people, we can change habits for the better and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

It is welcome that the Scottish budget maintains the UK’s most generous small business bonus scheme. Can the minister provide an update on the number of properties that the scheme expects to take out of rates altogether?

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on the Scottish budget, in light of reports that United Kingdom Government funding consequentials relating to the cost of living may not be provided in addition to provisional allocations. (S6O-00872)

Once again, the UK Government has made a great fanfare of announcing additional consequential funding for Scotland, then has quietly conceded later that there will not be any additional money, after all. Does the cabinet secretary share my concerns about the considerable difficulty that that creates for the Scottish Government in managing a fixed budget? Does she agree that that is an utterly irresponsible way to manage public finances?

With regard to the new governance arrangements, can you explain what systems are already in place or that you would like to establish to ensure that our ScotRail services provide best value for our taxpayers as well as value for money for our passengers?

Good morning, minister. You mentioned in your opening statement that the Scottish Government has started the national conversation on the future of the rail services. I have heard the answers that you have given, but what exactly would you like to come out of the national conversation? What would you like to hear from the folk of Scotland? How will the results be implemented once you have heard back?

Would the corporate body hae a thocht tae the idea that, if a motion is pit in in the mither twang o the member—fur exemple, the Doric—or the subject o the motion is the mither twang, wir practice the noo is flipped ower so that the mither twang motion is first and nae the English een?

Ah can translate if needed.

I add my condolences and thoughts for everyone who is affected.

It is clear that many of the recommendations relate to matters for reserved bodies and reserved powers on rail safety. Does the minister know how the UK Government has responded to the RAIB’s report? What role and power does she have to ensure that Network Rail urgently implements all the findings and recommendations that arise from the report?

Do you have anything to say, Robert?

You mentioned that one third of people say that they will never again feel comfortable on public transport. Apart from what you mentioned, is there anything else that might help people to feel more comfortable?