Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 07 January 2015
07 Jan 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Active Travel
Absolutely, but we have spent a lot of money on changing attitudes. We need to have the infrastructure that will allow parents and others to feel that they want children to walk and cycle on safe roads.
The Paths for All Partnership has called for a champion for the cause. The minister could be the Government’s cycling and walking champion.
Spokes has rightly questioned the clarity of the financial transactions that are involved in investing in cycling and walking infrastructure. Transform Scotland, too, speaks of the continued opaqueness of the Scottish budget. Why is it so complicated? I ask the Government to make it as transparent as possible and to be really proud of the investment. It can have a single budget line or two for “Walking infrastructure” and “Cycling infrastructure”. As advocated by the Scottish Green Party and 110 transport, medical and other professional bodies, including the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Institute of Highway Engineers and the British Heart Foundation, at the end of the line can be a figure that is 10 per cent of the transport budget.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-11980, in the name of Derek Mackay, on active travel. We are extraordinarily tight for time today, so tim...
The Minister for Transport and Islands (Derek Mackay)
SNP
I am delighted to be here for my first Government-led debate as Minister for Transport and Islands. I welcome David Stewart to his position in the Labour Par...
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful to the minister for outlining the important investment that has been made in active travel. I ask him to help me to clear up a matter. One of m...
Derek Mackay
SNP
I have already found how complex the budget lines are in the transport portfolio, partly because different portfolios contribute to active travel and cycling...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
What plans are there to make much higher the percentage of on-road cycling, through bikeability Scotland, among primary pupils? As a former primary school te...
Derek Mackay
SNP
Claudia Beamish is absolutely right. The level of on-road cycling is not to our satisfaction, and on that and many other action points we want to do more, wi...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You need to draw to a close.
Derek Mackay
SNP
There are a great deal of projects going on; I could have gone on to talk about many more of them. In conclusion, the language in the Labour amendment is n...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
I could be wrong, but I suspect that consensus will rule supreme this afternoon. Of course, Opposition members from across the chamber will endeavour to keep...
Nigel Don (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
SNP
I wonder whether we should ensure that members get a choice about which floor their office is on in the MSP block. Some of us would choose to be at the top; ...
David Stewart
Lab
I do not know whether the member wants me to nominate members who should be on the top floor, but I will certainly have a look at his suggestion. We also ne...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Thank you for sticking to your time. I now call Alison Johnstone—up to six minutes, please. 15:05
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The beginning of a new year is a good time to have this important debate. Someone wrote on Twitter, in a new year’s resolution sort of way, that this year th...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Does the member accept that it is not just about money; it is also about changing attitudes?
Alison Johnstone
Green
Absolutely, but we have spent a lot of money on changing attitudes. We need to have the infrastructure that will allow parents and others to feel that they w...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You should draw to a close, please.
Alison Johnstone
Green
I will indeed, Presiding Officer. The Paths for All Partnership is right to point out in its briefing that active travel schemes clearly deliver better valu...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I fear that the debate will be somewhat repetitive. We hear a great deal in the Parliament about the increasing levels of obesity in Scotland; the health de...
Derek Mackay
SNP
What is the Conservatives’ funding position on sustainable and active travel and specifically on cycling, as that relates to local government?
Nanette Milne
Con
This must be sorted out between the Government and local authorities.
Derek Mackay
SNP
So the Conservatives do not have a position.
Nanette Milne
Con
Just take what I have said. Funding needs to be sorted out between national and local government. It needs to be reliable and consistent if making progress t...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We move to the open debate. We are tight for time. 15:18
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate. If I may, I will confine my remarks to cycling. In April 2012, I had the privilege—along with Alis...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
This is one of those follow-that-speech moments—I will choose not to try to do that, for obvious reasons. This has been a good debate. I welcome the Ministe...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate the minister on his appointment to the most exciting—in the Chinese sense—portfolio in the Government. I will continue to get out my prayer ma...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member take a brief intervention on the subject of roller skates?
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
If Mary Fee knows more about roller skates than I do, which will not be hard, I most certainly will.
Mary Fee
Lab
My point may help to illustrate the debate. In a previous life, I worked for one of our largest retailers and when they were rolling out the opening of the m...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
I remind members that we are very short of time.