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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 14 November 2018

14 Nov 2018 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
ScotRail Franchise (Break Clause)

I know that I need to come to a conclusion, Presiding Officer—I thank you for your patience. I will pick up some of the other points in my closing speech, but I wish that Mr Smyth and his colleagues would give some credit to the staff and the management of ScotRail for the improved performance that they are delivering for our passengers.

I move amendment S5M-14720.3, to leave out from “believes” to end and insert:

“notes that the punctuality and reliability of ScotRail’s services continue to be below the Scottish Government contractual performance targets; recognises that both responsible parties for the effective operation of Scotland’s rail network, Network Rail and ScotRail, are delivering as their combined priority the implementation of a suite of system-wide actions as recommended in the review by Nick Donovan; further recognises that the Scottish Government has secured the right for a public sector body to bid to run Scotland’s rail services, but also notes that the majority of rail performance problems in Scotland are the direct responsibility of Network Rail, and calls on the UK Government to take the opportunity in its Rail Review to devolve authority for rail infrastructure to Scotland, so that responsibility for this rests with the Scottish Parliament.”

References in this contribution

Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani) SNP
It is time to move on to the next item of business. I ask members to change seats quickly, please. We are already behind time for the next debate, so some sp...
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab
Today, Parliament has a chance to put Scotland’s rail passengers before the profits of our privatised rail firms and to say to commuters that we are listenin...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP
I will keep my intervention brief. Does Colin Smyth accept that data that ScotRail provided before the debate show that, since the start of the current finan...
Colin Smyth Lab
We could pass the buck, as the minister clearly wants to do. We could talk about the fact that contained in those figures for Network Rail are disruptions ca...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Colin Smyth Lab
I am sorry, but I do not have time The franchise is a symptom of the fragmented, profit-driven, privatised railway system that was created 25 years ago this...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
I call the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse, to speak to and move amendment S5M-14720.3. 16:00
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP
The Scottish Government has been clear in its ambition to ensure that Scotland’s railways deliver a world-class service across the country. Our record invest...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I have only six minutes, so I am afraid that I will have to pass just now.
Neil Findlay Lab
You have got six minutes.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I am going to make progress, Mr Findlay, if you do not mind. Putting passengers first, ScotRail secured and introduced 40 available electric carriages to e...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
Could we have a bit of quiet, please?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
ScotRail has recruited more front-line staff to deliver those enhancements; there are 126 more posts now than there were at the start of the franchise and a ...
Colin Smyth Lab
The minister said that we need to improve performance. Will he tell us when ScotRail will hit its performance targets?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Mr Smyth is failing to note the improvement that has been made—in the last year, skip-stopping has decreased by 84 per cent. Interruption.
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
Excuse me, minister. I ask people to stop shouting from a seated position, please, and recognise that, if we are to get through this debate, we are very push...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I know that time is short but, in the absence of a positive response from Mr Smyth, I will highlight a recent statement that wa...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
You will have to come to a close, please, minister.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I know that I need to come to a conclusion, Presiding Officer—I thank you for your patience. I will pick up some of the other points in my closing speech, bu...
Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. What do the standing orders say about a Government completely ignoring the substantive terms of a motion? Today’s mot...
The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP
It is up to individual members how they respond and what they say in the chamber. I say to everyone involved that it might have been easier to answer that qu...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con) Con
Does Mr Wheelhouse really believe what he was reading out? Passengers watching the debate will be wondering what planet he is living on.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Jamie Greene Con
No, let me make progress first.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
The member asked me a question.
Jamie Greene Con
Okay. If the minister can answer that question, that would be great.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
As somebody who believes in using official statistics—and I believe the statistics—and as somebody who uses trains, I see the improvement. Mr Greene has ackn...
Jamie Greene Con
We have got new rolling stock. I have been on that new stock and agree that the carriages are great, but that does not in any way solve the many problems tha...
Neil Findlay Lab
Will the member take an intervention?