Chamber and committees

Thank you very much, and thank you all for coming this morning. I concur with you, in that I do not think that islanders want gold taps in their terminal buildings; they want a reliable ferry service, which is the point of this inquiry. Thank you very much for giving evidence to us this morning.

I will briefly suspend the meeting to allow for a changeover of witnesses.

Minister, do you want to add anything to that? You have suggested that Laurence Kenney might come in. It is up to you.

Okay. We come to the next lot of questions, which are from Mark Ruskell.

I am sorry to cut you off, Monica. I call Fiona Hyslop.

Welcome back, everyone. Item 5 is consideration of a second draft statutory instrument. For this item, I welcome back Jenny Gilruth, the Minister for Transport. I also welcome Gary McIntyre, economic adviser, and Debbie Walker, operations and business manager at Transport Scotland.

The instrument is laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before?it comes into force. At the next agenda item, following this evidence session, the committee will be invited to consider a motion to approve the instrument. I remind everyone that officials can speak under this item but not in the debate that follows.

Minister, I believe that you would like to make a brief opening statement.

It is good that we have clarified that. Sorry, Gary, I think that I cut you off in mid-flow.

A series of questions is stacking up. I will take a question from Monica Lennon, followed by one from Liam Kerr.

It would be wrong, then, based on what the deputy convener has said, to ask about what we have heard from a lot of people, as the minister will have. They say that ferries are their buses and that people under the age of 22 should perhaps be considered for concessionary travel on ferries, as well as buses. No doubt that will be in the order next year, but that is not the question that I want to ask. Do you think that the budget of £216 million for the older and disabled persons scheme will be met, by which I mean will there be a greater demand for that, or will it not reach that level of claim?

The committee will report on the outcome of the instrument in due course. Does the committee agree to delegate authority to me, as convener, to finalise the report for publication?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you, minister, and thank you to your officials.