Chamber and committees

Thank you, cabinet secretary. Does anyone have any comments on what appears to be a good idea?

Thanks, Jackie. I think that Douglas Lumsden has some questions.

Mark Ruskell has a follow-up question, and then it might be appropriate to bring in Carolyn Boyd if she wants to come in.

Thank you, Monica. Jackie Dunbar, I fear that your question might have been answered so I will move on to the next one, if you are happy to allow me to do that.

The deputy convener has some questions.

Good. I thank the cabinet secretary and her officials. Some of you are staying with us for the next item—or are you all staying?

No—I see that there will be a wee changeover. You can do that while I introduce the item. I thank you for being here.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. That was an interesting announcement, and I am sure that members will be considering the questions that they want to put on it when they come to the end of the first lot of questions that we have already discussed.

I also need to make an apology, as it was remiss of me, when welcoming the Government officials, not to welcome our colleague Graham Simpson, who will be asking questions at the end of the session. Please accept my apologies if I appeared to ignore you, Graham—you were not ignored.

Douglas Lumsden will ask the first question.

Okay. My point is that I want to know what the true costs are, that they will be met and that the change will not affect services in Scotland in any form. In the past, we have heard that poor railway network maintenance has resulted in reduced services in Scotland. I am sure that you will work on that.

Graham Simpson, do you want to ask any questions on this matter before we go on to the announcement that the cabinet secretary made?

I just note that I would have deep concern if we were all to go forward on different timescales, because that would mean that an illicit market was easily fuelled from elsewhere. I will leave it at that, but I will certainly come back on this whole thing if implementation does not happen all at the same time.

I am looking around the table. Mark Ruskell, I think that I cut you off. You might have wanted to come in on an earlier question.

Item 2 is consideration of a legislative consent memorandum on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill. I welcome Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, and the Scottish Government officials who are joining us today—Jan Spy; Bill Reeve, director of rail at Transport Scotland; and Fiona Brittle, senior rail policy manager at Transport Scotland. Good morning to you all. Cabinet secretary, I believe that you want to make a brief opening statement.