Chamber and committees

Scottish Ministers and officials have been working with industry stakeholders to explore the data on routes key Scottish exports take to market. Officials plan to annually update and publish this data on the modes and routes through which exports leave Scotland, including the commodity gaps in relation to the rest of the UK, to better inform exporters on the flows of Scottish goods to the EU and the rest of the world, as we continue to explore opportunities to increase exports from Scotland.

The Scottish Ministers have set a further rail freight growth target for rail control period seven (2024-2029) through their recent High Level Output Specification. Details can be viewed via the following link:-

Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) - Control Period 7 - 2024 – 2029 | Transport Scotland .

The Scottish Government is investing in the bus network to support long term growth, with the 2023-24 budget allocating £425.7m for concessionary fares and bus. The aim of the Network Support Grant is to help commercial operators keep their fares lower, and enable these operators to run services that might not otherwise be commercially viable, thus contributing to the maintenance of the overall bus network.

I appreciate that operators are experiencing challenges with rising costs and driver shortages which has led to concerns over the Network Support Grant base rate. I chair the Bus Taskforce to consider these issues with stakeholders, while recognising that many of the levers are reserved to the UK Government. These are matters which the UK Government could be providing assistance with but have thus far failed to do so.

The Scottish Government is providing extra funding to support a marketing campaign to encourage people back to bus. In line with our long-term goal to encourage a shift from private vehicles to sustainable modes of transport, we continue to engage with operators, delivery partners and other key stakeholders to promote public transport as an attractive way to travel as more people begin to return to workplaces and travel for leisure purposes more often.

The 20% Reduction in Car Km Route Map published on 13 January 2022, outlines the approach to meeting this commitment. Following a post-publication public consultation on the draft route map, Transport Scotland is currently working with local authority partners to prepare a final version of the route map for publication in the coming months.

The Scottish Government also publishes annual National Transport Strategy Delivery Plans which set out the actions being taken across the Scottish Government, including on the route map, to deliver on our transport vision, priorities and outcomes.

I further refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15653 on 21 March 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

There are currently 3,758 electric vehicle charging devices which make up the public charging network in Scotland. There are no publicly available statistics on the number of private charging devices in Scotland, such as those in workplaces, fleet depots and at residential properties.

The latest statistics quoted above are taken from Department for Transport’s ‘Electric vehicle charging device statistics’ published in January 2023. The next statistical release is due to be published in April this year.

A multi-stakeholder task group has been established to progress the most effective route for implementation of the strategy. As well as a subgroup of experts to investigate and a define place criteria for roads that are appropriate for 20 mph speed limits.

Recognising the need to identify the number of roads affected and the financial implications, the Scottish Government has supported local authorities with an additional £1.4 million in funding to undertake the necessary roads assessments. This work is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2023 and will enable the multi-partner 20 mph Task Group to then scope the next steps and options for implementation.

Communication plans are being developed, with research underway to shape a national campaign that will focus on promoting the benefits of lower speeds and encourage behaviour change pre and post implementation.

The Network Support Grant Plus was always a temporary fund to support operators to recover from the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. It has been extended on two occasions since June 2022. Scotland, like the rest of the UK, operates a de-regulated bus market due to decisions taken by the UK Government in the 1980s. This means that bus operators must return to a commercially sustainable model, and adapt their networks to account for the new travel patterns.

Notwithstanding, the Scottish Government continues to provide support through the Network Support Grant, which keeps fares more affordable and networks more extensive than would otherwise be the case. I have committed to review all funding to bus operators to ensure it is delivering best value to the taxpayer. This review will include an exploration of further conditionality being applied to Government subsidy in future.

The Scottish Government has provided local authorities with an additional £1.4 million in funding to undertake the necessary road assessments to identify the number of communities where a speed limit reduction is appropriate and the financial costs for implementation. This work is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2023 and will enable the multi-partner 20 mph Task Group to then scope the next steps, options for implementation and understand the financial impact of extending 20 mph speed limits in Scotland.

Police Scotland is a member of the multi stakeholder task group for 20 mph speed limits and work closely with road authorities in determining, or considering, any changes to speed limits, reflecting the function of the road and the impacts on the local community and the needs of vulnerable road users.

Roads that meet the place criteria with an appropriate speed limit of 20 mph should aim to be understood by the majority of motorists and therefore self-enforcing. However, roads authorities also have the option to install a number of speed reduction measures to support compliance of the reduced speed limit.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role the A1 plays in providing access to key markets, jobs and services between the south east of Scotland and the north east of England, and beyond. The Borders Transport Corridors Study , identified interventions on the A1 within its recommendations, these were subsequently considered in more detail as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The section of the A1 between Edinburgh and the border with England is a trunk road and therefore it’s under Scottish Minister’s remit to decide on further investment and development of the projects.

There has been no recent engagement with the UK Government on the dualling the A1.

As part of the Scottish Government’s response to the ongoing cost of living crisis, ScotRail fares were frozen until the end of March 2023 to support rail users.

The ScotRail fares freeze has been implemented alongside the extended support for the bus industry through the Network Support Grant Plus (NSG+). The recent extension of NSG+ included a fares freeze for participating bus operators until the end of March 2023. This was part of a cross-modal package of support, which includes the freeze on ferry fares on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks until October, to keep public transport fares stable both in level and relative to each other.

Given this and the continuing uncertainty around recovery paths following the pandemic, we have not specifically examined the impact on the bus sector of the ScotRail fares freeze. Transport Scotland has, however, kept regular track of demand across modes. Throughout 2022-23, bus and rail demand have moved closely in step with each other, other than where rail demand was impacted by industrial action.

This situation will change with the introduction of the removal of peak rail fares trial during the next financial year. Transport Scotland is putting steps in place to include the impact of the pilot on the bus system as part of the evaluation of the trial.