Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 03 February 2022
I am not digging in on anything—I am setting out the Government’s view. However, when I meet ScotRail next Tuesday, I will raise some of the concerns around timetable changes and ticket office closures, and I hope that that gives Neil Bibby some reassurance on that point.
The recent fares increase is an example of where the Government has had to make difficult decisions. We know that any fare increase is unwelcome for passengers, but the changes that are being implemented this year are absolutely essential to our wider recovery plans.
I give members an undertaking that I am in listening mode as we move forward with our ambitious plans to bring ScotRail into public ownership. Our trade unions will be pivotal in that endeavour and I very much look forward to working with them and meeting them next week.
Delivering Scotland’s railways back into public ownership will not be without challenge, but I am absolutely determined to ensure a seamless transition that delivers for passengers and our railway workers.
I move amendment S6M-03044.3, to leave out from “condemns” to end and insert:
“notes the vital role that ScotRail staff and workers will play in delivering these new services and thanks them for all that they have done to keep rail services running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; welcomes that staff will transfer with their current terms and conditions, will benefit from public sector pay policy, and that any pay deals already agreed for 2022-23 will be honoured; further welcomes the investment by the Scottish Government to decarbonise and expand Scotland’s railways, including £1 billion to electrify 441 kilometres of track and improve infrastructure, benefiting more than 35 million passenger journeys across Scotland each year, a record £4.85 billion allocated, including ongoing electrification and decarbonisation, over £9 billion of investment by the Scottish Government since 2007 helping to reconnect 14 communities to the rail network, with five more to be reconnected in the next three years, and over £555 million to sustain services and jobs throughout the pandemic; laments that the Scottish Labour Party joined with the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party to vote against a draft Scottish budget for 2022-23, which increased expenditure and investment in Scotland’s rail services; welcomes that rail fares in Scotland are still on average 20% lower than across the rest of Great Britain, and that, from May, there will be 150 more rail services than have been running since December 2021, with 25 services being reintroduced following the recent consultation on timetable changes; recognises that there has been widespread public and stakeholder interest in the ScotRail consultation on ticket office availability, but notes that the consultation only closed on 2 February 2022 and responses are therefore still to be reviewed; further notes that the fair fares review will explore what more can be done to ensure that fares across all modes of public transport are equitable and sustainable; agrees that the culture of ScotRail Trains Ltd will be founded on fair work; recognises the key role that a publicly owned and controlled rail service will play in the future to help transform Scotland’s economy, to cut emissions from transport, deliver on the climate change targets and create a fairer, greener Scotland, and calls for the full devolution of rail from the UK Parliament, including Network Rail, in order to operate a wholly publicly owned, fully integrated rail network in Scotland.”
16:06Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.