Chamber and committees

Given the picture that Fulton MacGregor so eloquently describes, I assume that he would agree with me that station staff are of enormous value. Does he agree that we should not be cutting back the number of staff at stations or reducing ticket office hours?

I thank Joe FitzPatrick for his speech. I agree with the points that he has made. Men have to reflect on their own behaviour, because we—men—are the problem. It is men, not women, who are causing the issues for women.

The report shows that women’s experiences differ. Some of the strategies that are used are also used by men. Women should not have to sit close to other women or next to families on board public transport because that might be considered safer; they should not have to make telephone calls to friends or family while making journeys so that somebody can track their journey’s progress; they should not have to ask male relatives or friends to meet them at bus stops or stations in order to accompany them on the final part of the journey home; and they should not have to wear flat shoes or trainers in order to be able to run away or escape if necessary.

People spoke of the need for a more visible police presence—that point was raised earlier—and that is the case in general, not just on public transport.

I was pleased to see that staff were also spoken to. I have been working very closely with Women in Rail. We will have an event in the Parliament later this year, and I note that Natalie Don will host an event for Women in Transport next week. We will not get women to work in the industry if it does not feel safe.

The recommendations in the report are sensible but not surprising. They include using technology; sharing best practice; providing better information for women; dealing with drunks; improving lighting; doing more research and training with drivers of public transport and reviewing the training that is already offered; and having more staff at boarding points. That final point is key, and it should make ministers here and elsewhere think before cutting back.

I am sure that we are in for a good and consensual debate today. I commend the minister for commissioning the research, as well as those who carried it out and took part in it.

I move amendment S6M-08122.2, to insert at end:

“; notes the 10th anniversary of British Transport Police’s (BTP) Text 61016 service in March 2023, and encourages people to use BTP’s free Railway Guardian app, which helps the travelling public and rail staff to report crime to BTP and offers information on what to do if people see sexual harassment on trains or at stations.”

I start by apologising for the length of this speech, which will probably be my longest speech ever, but it was out of my hands, and I will, of course, take interventions.

There are two things in the background to the debate. First, there is the research that was commissioned by the minister, which is very good, although it would have been helpful to have seen it a little bit earlier. Secondly, tomorrow is international women’s day. In general, I am not a fan of naming days. In my view, every day should be women’s day—it certainly is in my house.

I will come on to the minister’s research later, but I say at the outset that everyone has the right to feel safe on public transport, be they female or male, whatever their background or race, or be they able bodied or disabled. I was chatting to representatives of the British Transport Police last week, and they certainly share the view that everyone in Scotland has the right to feel safe when travelling by rail. The BTP takes a zero-tolerance approach to violence, antisocial behaviour and sexual harassment. Working in close partnership with Network Rail and rail industry colleagues, BTP officers are out across Scotland’s rail network, day and night, to keep the travelling public and railway staff safe. As part of the BTP’s mission to keep everyone safe, it asks the travelling public to report crime through its text 61016 service and the Railway Guardian app.

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the text service. It offers the travelling public and rail staff a means of contacting the British Transport Police directly and discreetly in order to report non-emergency crime. In that time, the BTP has had half a million reports using the service.

The free Railway Guardian app helps the travelling public and rail staff to report crime to the British Transport Police and offers information on what to do if anyone sees sexual harassment on trains or at stations. Users now have the option of uploading media evidence directly to the app, which is great. By using those vital tools, the travelling public’s small actions can make an enormous difference for the police.

I mention the work of the British Transport Police in my amendment. I have not had a great deal of hassle on public transport in my life. My most uncomfortable journey was probably when I sat next to a fellow journalist who got increasingly drunk on a rather long flight, when we had work to do at the other end.

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to roll out mobility as a service across Scotland. (S6O-01962)

I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement.

When we debated the future of the Caledonian sleeper service last month, I pointed out how successful the service had become under Serco. The year saw the highest revenue since the start of the franchise, with guest levels back to pre-Covid levels. Performance, guest satisfaction and employee satisfaction were all going up.

The minister has just agreed with all of that. She has just said that the Caledonian sleeper has

“surpassed any other train company in the UK in its recovery from the pandemic.”

She said:

“we see a service that is now thriving.”

She calls it “a world-class service”. There can be no conclusion other than that the decision is ideological.

Jenny Gilruth said nothing about how this world-class service can be improved under the Scottish Government. She has made no case at all for the decision. If it is about value for money, perhaps she can answer this: has she requested or received a costed proposal from Serco for a direct contract award? If she has not—which I suspect is the case—how can she claim or show that she is demonstrating value for money for the Scottish taxpayer?

I welcome the pilot projects, but we do not want to see those suddenly stopping. Can the minister assure us that funding will continue? Will we see the results of those pilots published?

Cliff Bowen spoke about the situation in Germany, where hydrogen filling stations are being put in. If that were done in Scotland, or throughout the UK, that would create a market, would it not?

The issue is what comes first.

It has been a fascinating evidence session. I have enjoyed all the contributions, but I have to pick you out, Cliff Bowen, because you have been a fantastic advert for your employer. I know that you are not here to represent your employer, which has not yet agreed to come before the committee, but you have painted it in a really good light, and it has absolutely nothing to worry about if it comes here. We are going to visit it so, if you find out the date, it would be good to see you on that visit.

All of you—particularly the union guys—have mentioned the need for investment in infrastructure. It struck me that, when Governments introduce policy, industry leads. Government can do things, and then the investment will follow. Do you have any ideas on what needs to happen to persuade the likes of Ineos to invest more in hydrogen?

Thank you.