S6M-11508: Katy Clark: Women and Girls’ Safety on Public Transport - That the Parliament believes that sexual harassment and abusive and antisocial behaviour are a widespread problem on public transport in Scotland, with women and girls disproportionately impacted; notes the survey by the Office for National Statistics, which reportedly shows that around half of women in Britain feel unsafe using public transport alone after dark, compared with around one in five men; notes with concern the findings of a RMT union survey of ScotRail members in 2023, which, it understands, found that more than 70% of women members had experienced workplace violence in the past year, and that more than 90% believed that workplace violence and antisocial behaviour was increasing, with the same amount reporting feeling less safe at work than they used to; understands that the unions Unite, TSSA and ASLEF have also reported incidences of violence and antisocial behaviour directed at their women members; notes the British Transport Police statistics, which reportedly show that there were 77 sexual crimes recorded in Scotland in 2021-22, and that there were 63 reports of sexual assaults on ScotRail trains between 2017 and 2021; understands that two thirds of ScotRail stations are unstaffed, including stations in the West Scotland region, and that the Scottish Government is considering cutting ticket office opening hours, as consulted on by ScotRail's former operator, Abellio, in 2022; welcomes Transport Scotland’s published report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, which found "consensus from women and girls of all ages that being in spaces that were staffed or had a staff presence made women feel safe" and that women were "more comfortable if ticket offices were open and staffed (especially later at night)", and calls on the Scottish Government to provide an update on its stated intention to progress the report’s 10 recommendations with organisations that were invited to participate in this work, including trade unions. 7 PB/S6/24/021 S6M-11354: Fergus Ewing: Dualling of the A9 and A96 - That the Parliament notes calls for the Scottish Government to bring forward an announcement, as soon as possible, in the form of a Ministerial Statement to the Parliament, containing full details of its plans to dual the A9 and the A96; further notes the belief that such a Ministerial Statement on the A9 dualling, which it stated would be provided in autumn 2023, should include a new timeline, setting out by when the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness shall be completed in its entirety and full details of when each of the remaining sections to be dualled shall be dualled, in accordance with a published programme; notes the view that such a programme must ensure that work on the remaining non-dualled sections is carried out continuously so that there is an uninterrupted flow of work progressing the project; further notes the view that the Ministerial Statement should include an announcement that the four sections with made orders, which, it understands, were published two years ago, will enter a formal procurement process, to ensure that there is a continuous flow of work on them, and swift progression of preparatory work on all of the other non-dualled sections; notes the belief that the statement should also include publication of the Reporter’s recommendations from the Public Local Inquiry on the road from Killiecrankie to Glen Garry, which was held in January 2020, and of the Scottish Minister’s decision on the Reporter’s recommendations from April 2021 regarding the Dalraddy to Slochd section; further notes the view that the statement should confirm the establishment of an A9 Programme Board to oversee the swift progression of the project, along with its remit, and that the board should be chaired by the Minister for Transport, or cabinet secretary with responsibility, should include the MSPs representing the parliamentary and regional constituencies which, within their boundaries, have sections of the A9 that have not yet been dualled, as well as senior elected representatives of Highland and Perth and Kinross councils; notes the calls for the Scottish Government to proceed immediately to issue the made orders in respect of the A96, which, it understands, were promised “in the coming weeks” during a parliamentary debate in November 2022, but have not yet been delivered; further notes the calls for the Scottish Government to announce the construction of the section of the road from Smithton, Inverness, to Auldearn, including the Nairn by- pass, with a timeline that sets out when that section of the A96 dualling shall be completed; notes the view that the work on sections of the A9, and the section of the A96 from Smithton to Auldearn, including the Nairn by-pass, can, and must, be carried out concurrently, and further notes the view that it is vital that this first section of the A96 enter the formal procurement process immediately, so that further delay is avoided.