Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 April 2019
04 Apr 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Transport (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I will be more than happy to give way, but not just yet.
I turn first to low-emission zones. If we are serious about creating effective low-emission zones in our cities, we must ensure that steps are taken to improve public transport provision in the areas that would be affected before the zones are introduced. Although the Government agrees with that, it has basically said, “Over to you, local authorities.”
We must also ensure that there is consistency across the country on which vehicles may enter an LEZ, in order to avoid confusion and to encourage compliance with regulations. I am pleased that the Government accepted that point in its response to the committee’s stage 1 report.
I now turn to the actions that will be needed in the bill to arrest the general decline in bus use. Contrary to what Mr Finnie says, it is not just poor people who use buses; I use buses every day. Lots of people use buses, not just the poor.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-16747, in the name of Michael Matheson, on stage 1 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill. 14:54
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity (Michael Matheson)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to consider the stage 1 report on the Transport (Scotland) Bill, which is an ambitious and broad piece of legislation covering a wi...
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
I am pleased that the cabinet secretary is willing to look at the issue of local authorities running commercially profitable routes, but will he outline what...
Michael Matheson
SNP
The member will be aware that there are concerns in the bus industry about the impact that that could have on existing bus operators, as well as about the co...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
There are quite a lot of streets in our cities where there is not enough room for everything that we would like to do. Does the cabinet secretary accept that...
Michael Matheson
SNP
I recognise that. Some city streets are too narrow for vehicles to park on both sides of the road and, at the same time, for vehicles to pass through. It is ...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
If, as the bill states, exemptions to parking prohibitions are to be made by local authorities, will they consult their local communities to come to an agree...
Michael Matheson
SNP
There is a provision for local authorities to undertake that process, which would include consulting local communities and other important partners such as e...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Edward Mountain to open on behalf of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee. 15:07
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to contribute to the debate in my capacity as the convener of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee. The committee’s stage 1 report on t...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
It is a pleasure to open the stage 1 debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. I add my thanks to the clerks and my fellow committee members, many of w...
John Mason
SNP
Will the member give way?
Jamie Greene
Con
I am sorry, but I have very limited time. The best approach would be to empower local authorities to ban the practice of pavement parking where it needs to ...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
Will Jamie Greene take an intervention on that point?
Jamie Greene
Con
I will not. There is a lot to be positive about in the bill. We will take a constructive approach to amendments. However, there are several elements of the...
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I ask members to imagine a transport system in which our transport agencies have the powers properly to regulate public transport in their areas and to deliv...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
The member describes falling patronage and so on. Can he give us the equivalent numbers for bus patronage and Government support in Wales, where Labour is in...
Colin Smyth
Lab
I can tell Mr Stevenson that there has been an 8 per cent fall in Scotland in the past few years, whereas the rate was 5 per cent in the rest of the United K...
John Finnie
Green
Was that the member’s position when his councillor colleagues in Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council had such a proposal as part of their loca...
Colin Smyth
Lab
The Parliament needs to make a decision first, because one of my deep concerns is that, under the proposals, if a car parking tax was introduced by City of E...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
As colleagues have done, I thank the people who have contributed to the bill—the witnesses, our staff and the many organisations that have provided briefings...
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
I state at the outset that I believe that the Transport (Scotland) Bill is important, and the Liberal Democrats will support it at decision time. The Govern...
John Finnie
Green
Will Mike Rumbles give way?
Mike Rumbles
LD
Oh, come on! I am only 30 seconds into my speech. We are told by the Government that the issue will be considered at stage 2, even if it was not considered...
Mike Rumbles
LD
I will be more than happy to give way, but not just yet. I turn first to low-emission zones. If we are serious about creating effective low-emission zones i...
John Finnie
Green
Will the member give way on that point?
Mike Rumbles
LD
I will not, just now. The bill should be a great opportunity to tackle decline in bus use. Unfortunately, I do not agree with the cabinet secretary that the...
Jamie Greene
Con
Is it therefore Lib Dem policy that there should be no exemptions to the ban on double parking? If so, how on earth is Mike Rumbles expecting to get in and o...
Mike Rumbles
LD
I am talking about obstruction of pavements. In our report, the committee makes it clear that it is concerned that the “20 minutes for loading and unloadin...
Michael Matheson
SNP
Can Mike Rumbles clarify whether his view is that there should be no exemption at all or that the 20-minute period is too long for the exemption?