Chamber and committees

That is helpful. Thank you.

There is a lot to comment on there, but we do not have time. I wonder whether we will see more operational restrictions, such as speed restrictions. What you told us about the helicopter is new information for me, so thank you for that.

I will come back to Alex Hynes. You said that Scotland’s Railway is industrial action free, but I am aware that the RMT—the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers—is balloting its ScotRail members tomorrow on the proposed extension of driver-only operation. It is quite timely that you are here. I wonder why this issue continues to be a problem. Unions fear that driver-only operation is being brought in by the back door. I know that you care about having good industrial relations, so what has been done to address that? Will Scotland’s Railway continue to be industrial action free?

I do not know whether Alex Hynes or Joanne Maguire is best placed to speak to this—perhaps both should answer.

It sounds like there is a way to go here before everyone is around the table. Just so that I have this right, the Scottish Government’s position is that it specifies a requirement that all ScotRail services should have a second staff member on board to assist passengers. The RMT appears to be concerned that there will be discretion and that the train driver will have to make that decision. It feels as if there will be pressure on the train driver. Am I correct?

That seems fine, and there is planning consent in principle. What you are saying is that the project is not quite shovel-ready, but is getting there. Realistically, though, when do you expect a new station to be open to the public?

Okay. I just want to get this right, because the project is not in my parliamentary region—although I do get a lot of emails about it. There is an on-going discussion about who is going to pay what, but from what you have said today, things are sounding less certain and it might not even happen. Will it definitely happen or is there a chance that, because of the funding and technical issues that you have highlighted, it might not happen at all?

I am not asking for a list—I just wanted to get clarity on this project.

Thank you, Mr Wilson. That was helpful. I am encouraged to hear that there has been perhaps not formal consultation but wide engagement. You also mentioned a number of key stakeholders including unions, whose involvement is important.

Given what you have said, I have a wider question. Obviously, there are the provisions in this bill—which is not a Scottish Government bill—but, more generally, concerns have been raised about the impact of automated vehicles on workers. Jim Wilson gave the good example of self-scanning checkouts in supermarkets. I am sure that we have all had our ups and downs with those.

I believe that, in Scotland, there was a trial involving self-driving buses in 2023, and concerns were raised about what such a move might mean for workers not just from a safety perspective but for future workforce planning. Cabinet secretary, could you speak to the issue of workforce planning? We know that there is a shortage of bus drivers, but have you picked up on any other particular issues? On Mr Wilson’s point about the importance of collaboration and discussion with the Department for Transport, are you satisfied that there is good dialogue with the UK Government on these matters?

Good morning to our panel. On the back of Mark Ruskell’s question, I was reading a media comment by Mike Robinson, who is the chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, on the issue of value and affordability. On behalf of the coalition, he said:

“Reverting to expensive tickets would be a hugely retrograde decision and would be bad news for workers, passengers and the climate.”

When you are taking the temperature of the travelling public, are you picking up on that desire to do the right thing by the climate and the environment in addition to having more affordable train travel?

I want to pick up on the issue of accessibility before I move on to a question about the safety of women and girls, in particular. Bob Doris asked about accessibility, and Robert Samson talked about rolling stock procurement and future opportunities. I remind the committee that I am a patron of Disability Equality Scotland.

Even at this quite early stage, is there positive engagement with disability organisations and disabled people about their experiences? You have talked not just about reliability but about perceptions about reliability. Obviously, the point about passenger assistance is key. I would like a brief answer to that question before I move on to other matters.

Good morning to the panel. First, congratulations to Alex Hynes on his new appointment as director general of rail services at the Department for Transport, moving from Scotland’s Railway to Britain’s railways, in four weeks’ time. Can you advise the committee who will take over from you on 15 April?