Chamber and committees

Minister, are you satisfied that all of those points are covered?

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the 28th meeting in 2022 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.

Agenda item 1 is to decide whether to take agenda items 9 and 10 in private. Under agenda item 9, the committee will consider the evidence that it will hear under agenda item 6, and under agenda item 10, the committee will consider a draft letter to the Scottish Government on our pre-budget scrutiny.

Is the committee content to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Agenda item 2 is consideration of a draft Scottish statutory instrument. I welcome to the meeting Jenny Gilruth, the Minister for Transport—thank you for making yourself available, minister—and her officials: Elise McIntyre, principal legal officer, Scottish Government legal directorate, and Donald Morrison, head of asset management and procurement, Transport Scotland.

As the instrument has been laid under the affirmative procedure, the Parliament must approve—[Interruption.] It is very dangerous if somebody else can mute the convener, as just happened—it is not something that I want to continue in future.

Let me try that bit again. As the instrument has been laid under the affirmative procedure, the Parliament must approve it before it can come into force. Following this evidence-taking session, the committee will be invited under the next agenda item to consider a motion to approve the instrument. I remind everyone that officials can speak under this item but will not be able to speak in the debate that follows.

I invite the minister to make a short opening statement. Minister, I can mute your microphone if you go on too long—but, of course, I would not do that.

As there are no other questions, we move to item 3, which is formal consideration of motion S6M-06081. I remind members that only the minister and members can speak in the debate. I ask the minister to speak to and move the motion.

Just to clarify, Mark, I think that the point that you have made is about the need to accelerate the work and to look globally across the whole sector. You do not wish to object to or make criticisms of the order—you have just made some observations.

I see that there are no contributions from members.

Minister, there have been various commitments made prior to this point, with which I hope you will agree.

The question is, that motion S6M-06081, in the name of Jenny Gilruth, be approved.

Motion agreed to.

As there are no other questions we will move on to the next item, which is formal consideration of motion S6M-06005.

Motion moved,

That the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee recommends that the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 2022 [draft] be approved.—[Michael Matheson]

Motion agreed to.

So can we make those comments on the order? I am looking at the clerks. [Interruption.] The clerks have told me that the comments have already been made.

Our next item is evidence as part of our inquiry into a modern and sustainable ferry service for Scotland. I refer members to the papers for this item from the clerk and the Scottish Parliament information centre.???

This is the second day of taking evidence in our inquiry into Scotland’s ferry services. The inquiry aims to find out how best to secure ferry services that are future proofed and able to meet the needs of service users across our island communities. On 28 June, the committee discussed the issues with representatives from island communities. The committee also launched a call for views, which closed on 26 August.

Today we are joined by two of Scotland’s independent ferry operators, to hear their experiences of operating a commercially viable service without public subsidy. I welcome our witnesses: Helen Inkster, managing director, Pentland Ferries; and Gordon Ross, managing director, Western Ferries. Thank you both for accepting our invitation to attend the committee.

We have a series of questions for you. I will ask the easy question to put you at ease and to start us off.? What do you think that ferry users want from a well-run ferry service?