Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing) SNP

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-17362, in the name of Sue Webber, on ending the war against Scotland’s motorists. Members who wish to spe...

Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con) Con

The Scottish Conservatives will always stand up for motorists, unlike the left-wing parties in this chamber, who continue to treat them with disdain. For too...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

Will Sue Webber take an intervention?

Sue Webber Con

If Mr Cole-Hamilton does not mind, I will come to him in a second, once I have got a bit more traction. Despite what the SNP says in its amendment, it is no...

Alex Cole-Hamilton LD

Liberal Democrats believe that we should incentivise people to get out of cars and into public transport, but we agree that we need to improve Scotland’s roa...

Sue Webber Con

It is not an omission, Mr Cole-Hamilton. The point is about roads across the country generally. We did not want to specify and single out individual roads be...

The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie) SNP

I thank colleagues for the opportunity to set out to Parliament the importance and the impact of our policies and investments relating to road users, infrast...

Sue Webber Con

Will the minister take an intervention?

Jim Fairlie SNP

I will take it in a second. I hope that we can reset the level of our discussion in order to find a solution that we can all agree to work on.

Sue Webber Con

Can the minister refer to anything that I said in my remarks today that did not acknowledge that motorists want to be part of an affordable transition?

Jim Fairlie SNP

I am talking about the language that was used in the motion bringing the debate to the Parliament in the first place. I recognise the fundamental importance...

Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

There was a discussion at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee meeting this week on what more the Scottish Government could do to ensure that we have...

Jim Fairlie SNP

I will try to come to that as I make my way through my speech. We all accept that we want to have alternatives to car use; as I said, I think that that is w...

Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

Will the minister take an intervention?

Jim Fairlie SNP

Let me finish the point that I am making. Scotland reached its target of 6,000 public EV charge points two years early through a combination of Scottish Gove...

Liam Kerr Con

Does the minister regret the failure of all the ministers who came before him to set out a costed delivery plan and milestones to reduce car use by 20 per ce...

Jim Fairlie SNP

It is not a case of regretting what other ministers have done. I am standing here today as the minister who is contributing to the debate that has been broug...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Minister, I ask you to bring your remarks to a close and to move your amendment, please.

Jim Fairlie SNP

—and the code of practice for co-ordination of road works. Presiding Officer, I will finish my remarks there. I move amendment S6M-17362.4, to leave out fr...

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

We are having a very short debate that is attempting to cover many aspects of transport policy. We have already heard from the Conservative spokesperson and ...

Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con) Con

Is the member aware that many bus companies are facing extreme financial pressures as a result of the Labour UK Government’s imposition of increased employer...

Claire Baker Lab

The member will probably agree that the decline in bus services in Scotland happened long before Labour came into government. For years under the SNP, we hav...

Jim Fairlie SNP

Will the member give way?

Claire Baker Lab

I am quite pressed for time, but I will do so if the minister can be very brief.

Jim Fairlie SNP

On the member’s point about certain areas not having bus services, is that not more to do with the fact that it is a deregulated market? In addition, irrespe...

Claire Baker Lab

I agree with what the Government’s amendment says about deregulation and the impact that that has had. However, the SNP Government has done little to reverse...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Ms Baker will need to conclude and move her amendment.

Claire Baker Lab

I will just say something about electric cars. We need to do more to increase the attraction of electric cars.

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Thank you. I ask Ms Baker to move her amendment.

Claire Baker Lab

We need to do more to make sure that we have a transport strategy that works for all our communities. I move amendment S6M-17362.1, to leave out from first ...