Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland is undertaking the National Speed Management Review to support a range of policy drivers including better road safety and health outcomes, promotion of active travel, climate change mitigation, place making and economic growth.

The review covers comprehensive analysis of all types of speed management policies including HGV speed limits as well as a review of what has been introduced in other countries throughout the world.

We will consult with stakeholders and the public this year to gather and consider their views on future changes to speed limit policies and speed management measures.

Transport Scotland officials have been in discussions with UK Government officials regarding regulatory and legislative requirements for a range of future vessel technologies and fuels, including hydrogen. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for shipping regulations in UK waters, to ensure that vessels are meeting UK and international safety rules, promoting and enforcing compliance with maritime regulations and best practice, and making sure that legislation is proportionate.

In 2019, the £500 million investment in bus included reallocation of roadspace on the Glasgow motorway network. The design development and business case work to support infrastructure to improve bus journey time reliability on the M8 through Glasgow and also on the M77 and M80, is currently moving towards completion.

Until this work is completed it is not possible to confirm the exact level of investment that will be required.

No date has been set for the electrification of the Maryhill railway line. However in line with the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan this route will be considered by Transport Scotland, who will, in turn, provide advice to Scottish Ministers for decision.

The Decarbonisation Action Plan commits to all passenger diesel trains being replaced; the order and programme in which that is done will depend on business cases and available budgets.

Lending and insurance policy are reserved matters for the UK Government. We are aware of the difficulties that some people are facing in accessing mortgages for buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. Work has been undertaken between the UK Government and UK Finance to develop a solution which reflects the situation in England and we are in urgent discussion with UK Finance about adapting that solution for Scotland as quickly as possible. The Single Building Assessment is a crucial element in identifying issues in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding in Scotland. We expect the vast majority of buildings to be found to be safe, but first we have to carry out comprehensive and technical assessments. This is a complex and time-consuming programme, and a number of assessments are either at final or pre-final reporting stage.

There is a job profile created for each individual role and this is used to assess the suitability of the candidates.

Job profiles are designed to attract the best people for the roles - high quality candidates with specialist knowledge and qualifications, where required, in relation to specific roles such as Safety and Audit and Risk. It is also important to us that candidates possess strong governance, diversity and leadership skills and a knowledge of constitutional devolution and how it affects public services in Scotland.

The current non-executive directors of Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH) Board were appointed on an interim basis to 31 March 2023. The SRH Board non-executive appointments are non-regulated and there is no stipulation of specific appointment length detailed within the Framework Agreement, however going forward it is anticipated that terms for non-interim appointments will be for up to three years.

The standard tenure of the executive members of the SRH Board is permanent.

The objective of the medium-term solution is to provide a safe, proportionate and more resilient diversion route for use if the A83 is closed. The improvements to the Old Military Road will improve the resilience of the diversion route, reduce journey times, are the quickest to implement, of relatively lower cost and would have the least impacts overall across the range of criteria assessed.

These improvements include proposals to extend the length of single carriageway (i.e. two way lane road), subject to obtaining necessary statutory planning approvals. However, a length of the single lane Old Military Road will remain unchanged at the western end, including the hairpin bends. This was communicated when the medium term solution announcement was published on the Transport Scotland website on 23 December 2022.

There have been no recent discussions with the UK Government on these specific issues, which are matters for the operators to consider. However, I have been in correspondence with the UK Government regarding wider seafarer employment conditions, including writing on numerous occasions seeking a 4 nations ministerial meeting to discuss the implications of the decision by P&O Ferries to sack almost 800 crew. The UK Government did not respond to these proposals, which was disappointing noting where legislative competence rests.

Shipping safety and seafarer welfare and employment conditions are matters reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime Labour Convention came into force in the UK on 7 August 2014. It sets out the minimum working and living rights for seafarers, with the onus on operators. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are responsible for auditing vessels to ensure compliance.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and crew welfare and employment conditions for vessels and personnel accessing Scotland’s ports and coastal areas.

The Chief Executives of Transport Scotland and Glasgow City Council met with Landsec on 9 November 2022 to discuss the proposed redevelopment of Buchanan Galleries.

Since then Transport Scotland and Network Rail officials have been engaged with Landsec to discuss further its proposals for Buchanan Galleries and the surrounding area. The most recent meeting was on 18 January 2023.