Chamber and committees

Enforcement of the wearing of face coverings on public transport rests with Police Scotland and the British Transport Police.

Transport Scotland is in regular dialogue with transport operators who have been reminded, as per Scottish Government guidance, that they are expected to consider displaying prominent signage highlighting that face-coverings must be worn and also that their staff may enquire if a passenger is not wearing a face-covering and remind them of their legal obligation to do so, unless they are exempt.

Since the mandatory wearing of face covering came into force in Scotland on 22 June, uptake has increased considerably across public transport modes. Transport operators advise compliance is generally high, observed normally to be between 80% to 100%, though there are localised variations.

The powers are in place, through the legislation, for fixed penalty notices to be issued, if required, to enforce compliance.

The Scottish Government's preferred option is to have an integrated rail system that is public sector-controlled.

The UK Government has not confirmed an intention to replace the UK Railways Act 1993. We are currently awaiting the publication of the outcomes from the UK Rail Review (Williams Review), which were originally due in the Autumn of last year.

It remains our long-held view that the devolution of our railway is required to enable the Scottish Government to consider the full range of options for structuring Scotland’s railway.

Scottish Government officials are continuing to investigate other opportunities to encourage low carbon and more sustainable farming and food production through the Agricultural Transformation Fund allocation for 2020-21. Parliament will of course be updated of any such proposals.

Further to the answer to question S5W-31754 given on 22 September 2020, while the Scottish Government is continuing to investigate if there are any suitable opportunities to utilise this funding, I need to be confident that any proposal identifies a gap in the market, can deliver the required outcomes and is deliverable in a way that practical for farmers and crofters. That assessment is continuing and if we are able to utilise this funding option. Parliament will be advised in due course.

In order to maintain rail passenger service continuity throughout this period, the Scottish Government released significant funding of £250m which enabled Abellio ScotRail to maintain full employment of staff. The management fee associated with the earlier Emergency Measures Agreement with Abellio ScotRail included a performance element, ensuring focus on immediate service continuity for essential journeys. A similar approach was taken by the Department for Transport at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is the intention of the Scottish Government to publish redacted versions of the current Emergency Measures Agreements, in place from September to January 2021, on the Transport Scotland website in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government has already provided around £250 million of additional financial support which has allowed Abellio ScotRail and Serco Caledonian Sleeper to maintain full employment for their staff despite the significant drop in passenger revenue during the pandemic, and substantial additional sums will be required in future.

The UK Government has not yet provided clarity about the future additional funding for the Scottish Government arising from UK transport spending. Any pay discussions between ScotRail and its staff will need to reflect the extremely challenging budgetary position and the ongoing budgetary uncertainty.

The global figure for all rolling stock costs during the EMA period until 20 September 2020 is £84.8m. Disaggregated information cannot be provided due to the commercial sensitivities for both Train Operating Companies as well as the Rolling Stock Companies involved.