Chamber and committees

Will the member take an intervention?

I thank the Labour Party for securing the debate. I am a fan of buses, and I have been ever since my dad worked for a bus company in the 1970s. I would be even more of a fan if I had a decent bus service where I live that I could use. However, like many people, I do not. Out of necessity, I tend to take the car, walk or cycle to most places. I do not want it to be that way. Too many people live in public transport deserts or places such as Shotts where the bus service is patchy and, on a Sunday, virtually non-existent.

No.

Before the pandemic, 373 million journeys a year were made by bus in Scotland, which was the largest number of journeys for any form of public transport. Journey figures have rebounded, but not to pre-pandemic levels. Buses can hold the key if the Government is serious about hitting its target to reduce the number of car miles by 20 per cent by 2030. However, it has presented no ideas on how to achieve that.

Buses need to be there for people, and they need to offer something better than the car. The Scottish Government’s decision to cut the network support grant plus in March was baffling. That did not happen anywhere else in Britain. Operator warnings that that could lead to a rise in fares and a reduction in services fell on deaf ears. Last year’s savage cuts to local government spending were met with similar disdain, with Councillor Gail Macgregor of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities warning in January that councils would struggle to fund services.

However, it is not just on funding that the SNP is failing. The Government’s goal to remove the majority of the country’s diesel bus fleet in favour of zero-emission models by the end of 2023 lies in tatters. Transform Scotland estimates that just 16 per cent will be converted by that time.

Will the member give way?

The minister mentioned a figure of 15 per cent, yet Transform Scotland said that it was 16 per cent—that is nowhere near the target.

The £500 million bus partnership fund, which launched in 2019 to deliver bus priority measures on our roads, has paid out just £25 million since that time. It is little wonder that the Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee recommended that the Government reviews the scheme to see why there has been such poor take-up. Of course, fares can play a big part in getting people on to public transport. We await the introduction of a cross-modal travel card of the type that was given to delegates at the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26. We can only look south with envy at the £2 fare cap, which has just been extended until October, when it will go up for a year to £2.50. With a bit of promotion, that will be a massive success.

Our failing bus network is having a detrimental impact on people’s everyday lives. The Scottish Government cannot wait about any longer. If we want to get people on to buses, we need comprehensive routes that are easy to use, and fares need to be simple and cheap. I have heard nothing of that from the minister.

I move amendment S6M-08954.2, to insert at end:

“;further calls on the Scottish Government to set out in detail how it plans to achieve its 20% car kilometre reduction target by 2030, and calls on the Scottish Government to publish its Fair Fares Review before summer recess 2023.”

I say to the cabinet secretary that, so far, his Government has delivered absolutely nothing. I thank him for advance sight of his rather embarrassing statement.

The building of ferries 801 and 802 has been a shambles from start to finish. In fact, “shambles” is not a strong enough word: it has been a scandal. The vessels are six years late and three times over budget, with the cost now standing at £300 million-plus. In March, the Auditor General said that the final cost of vessels 801 and 802 remained unclear. After today’s statement, that remains the case.

What will the final bill—I stress the word “final”—be for vessel 801? In his statement, he told us that finishing vessel 802 at Ferguson’s would not represent “value for money”, although it might be quicker. How much cheaper would it be to buy a new ferry elsewhere, compared with finishing vessel 802 here?

This is the same question that I asked about Prestwick, really. Is it your intention to return Ferguson Marine to the private sector at some point?

Good morning, minister. We have dealt with hydrogen, so we will move on to sustainable aviation fuel.

Last July, the UK Government produced a jet zero strategy in which you said that by 2025—just three years away at the time—at least five UK SAF plants would be under construction and an SAF mandate would be in place with a target of at least 10 per cent SAF by 2030. That is of relevance to us, because we want Grangemouth to be one of those plants. What are you doing to ensure that you get those five plants in place?

Perhaps Mr Cook knows.

Is there any current interest in buying the airport?