Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2026 [Draft]
I thank the First Minister for his solidarity. I and the Scottish Greens want to see a UK-wide ban on that form of torture, but the UK Government has made the same promise over and over and it has still not introduced such a bill. Should it fail to do so again, I will expect to see it in the Scottish Government’s programme for government in September.
Turning to a different matter entirely, during the election campaign, I was pleased to meet people from across the Highlands and Islands who are now saving a fortune thanks to the £2 bus fare cap that the Scottish Greens secured through negotiations with the Scottish Government. For example, someone commuting from Elgin to Inverness is now saving £17 a day on that journey.
Expanding the £2 cap nationwide was in the Green and SNP election manifestos—in our case, it was set out as a transitional step towards the provision of universal free bus travel. Given that school holidays are coming up, families are looking for affordable days out and the cost of petrol is skyrocketing, expanding that cap should be a top priority for the Government. Does the First Minister agree with the Scottish Greens that more families should be able to enjoy £2 bus fares this summer?