Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 February 2022
Colin Smyth raises a number of important points. I think that I was actually in listening mode last week, to reflect. Will I scrap the consultation? I cannot scrap something retrospectively. The consultation closed on 2 February, so it is done.
Transport Focus—I mentioned that it is the independent watchdog for transport users in my answer to Neil Bibby—is collating responses and it will also provide its view on the consultation process. I am told that the timescale for that is two weeks, after which the matter will come to me for decision.
I cannot retrospectively scrap the consultation, but I give the member my undertaking that I will look into the specifics of the issues that he has mentioned. Some of what he has highlighted in the chamber gives me some cause for concern, so I would be keen to understand a bit more about that.
On the rationale behind the consultation—we talked about some of this in the chamber last week—this is about the behavioural shift of people not going into ticket offices and buying tickets in the same way they might have done in the past. ScotRail’s response to that was to consult and look at how people are buying their tickets. The last time that a review was carried out was in 1992. I hope that Colin Smyth will understand the need and rationale for the review.
On how the review was conducted, and on whether mistakes were made, I reassure the member that I will be looking closely at the detail of the report when it makes its way to me in a couple of weeks’ time.