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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 November 2024
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Displaying 1719 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Ferry Services Inquiry

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

Looking at the future, I am interested to know what role CMAL has played in relation to the development of the islands connectivity plan. It would be good if you could explain exactly what your involvement has been throughout the stages of its development.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Ferry Services Inquiry

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

Can you explain what that involvement has been with Transport Scotland?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Ferry Services Inquiry

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

Your point is interesting, Jim. You seem to be saying that CMAL is following a market rather than trying to create and lead a new market in decarbonised technology. It is a bit disappointing to hear that.

Is CMAL committed to the 2030 target, which is a 75 per cent carbon reduction on 1990 levels by 2030? Are all the decisions that have been made on commissioning in perfect alignment with that? If not, you are in effect asking another transport sector—another part of the economy—to pick up the slack on decarbonisation that, for whatever reason, you feel that you are unable to achieve.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Ferry Services Inquiry

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

Are you aligned with the 2030 target?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Ferry Services Inquiry

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

My questioning follows on from that point, convener. Mr Wilcock, you were talking about the ring-binder approach to the islands connectivity plan. Can we get a sense of where the other parts of the plan will slot in, and the formal timetable for its adoption?

Coming out of that, there is a question about why the long-term plan for vessels and ports has been published ahead of the community needs assessment. Will you give a little more detail as to what is coming, when it is coming and why the decision was made in particular to publish that piece of work on vessels and ports ahead of the one on community needs?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 28 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

The under-22s bus scheme has been quite remarkable over the past year. I have seen in my own family and the wider school community how young people are now using bus services in a very different way. I am also seeing that feed back into services with far more people on bus services now than was the case before Covid.

I suppose that we do not have that story in front of us just now. We have some pretty raw figures that are impressive in terms of the number of journeys and how patronage has increased.

Will Transport Scotland do an evaluation of that part of the concessionary travel scheme, because it seems to me that there is a lot to bring out there? It would be worth evaluating that and for Parliament to be able to understand the positive economic impacts and the impact not only on services but on young people’s confidence.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

BBC (Digital-first Agenda)

Meeting date: 23 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

That is particularly helpful if, like me, you do not have a musical education.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

BBC (Digital-first Agenda)

Meeting date: 23 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

I thank you all for joining us this morning and for those initial comments. I would like to ask Tommy Smith in particular about “Jazz Nights”. Can you give examples of how that programme has helped to support new emerging artists in Scotland?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

BBC (Digital-first Agenda)

Meeting date: 23 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

I guess that this question is for all of you, but I will go back to you first, Professor Smith. I stumbled across “Jazz Nights”—I am not usually awake in that dead zone on a Sunday night—and I am glad that I did. Can we do more to promote that digital linear content through BBC Sounds? There is a lack of awareness of the three programmes that are up for cuts at the moment, which is a shame, because we are missing something if we do not know that those programmes exist.

Many of us are on a musical journey and we are trying to learn about new genres and wake ourselves up to new talent, but it is often difficult to find those programmes. They are not obvious—stumbling across them is not easy.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

BBC (Digital-first Agenda)

Meeting date: 23 February 2023

Mark Ruskell

Yes, that is great—thank you.

I will go on to ask you about the BBC’s response. It has said that it has jazz programmes on Radio 2 and Radio 3, and that it can incorporate Scottish emerging talent into those programmes. I had a chance to look at the past month of output that is currently on BBC Sounds. I looked at all the track listings for the jazz programmes, but I did not see Fergus McCreadie, Georgia Cécile or any Scottish artists in any of them. Is there something problematic about the formats of those programmes on Radio 2 and Radio 3 that makes it hard to reflect that ecosystem of Scottish talent that we have talked about?