Meeting of the Parliament Wednesday 13 March 2019 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Wednesday 13 March 2019 CONTENTS Col. PORTFOLIO QUESTION TIME ............................................................................................................................... 1 TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONNECTIVITY ............................................................................................ 1 Traffic Management (A90/A944 Junction) .................................................................................................... 1 Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study ................................................................................................... 3 Queensferry Crossing (One-year Review Report) ....................................................................................... 4 Glasgow Queen Street-Maryhill-Anniesland Train Services (Delays and Cancellations) ............................ 5 Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership (Targets) ................................................................... 6 Broadband (Business Access) ..................................................................................................................... 7 M8, M73 and M74 Improvements Project (Evaluation) ................................................................................ 9 JUSTICE AND THE LAW OFFICERS ....................................................................................................................... 9 Knife Crime ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Sectarianism (Reduction and Prevention Funding) .................................................................................... 11 Veterans (Prison Population) ...................................................................................................................... 13 Scottish Legal Aid Board (Project Funding) ............................................................................................... 14 Legal Assistance (Island and Remote Areas) ............................................................................................ 15 Health and Social Care in Prisons .............................................................................................................. 16 Incident Recording (Gender Identity).......................................................................................................... 17 YEAR OF YOUNG PEOPLE 2018 ........................................................................................................................ 19 Motion moved—[Maree Todd]. Amendment moved—[Alex Cole—Hamilton]. The Minister for Children and Young People (Maree Todd) ...................................................................... 19 Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) .......................................................................................... 23 Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con) ....................................................................................................... 27 Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab) .................................................................................................................... 29 Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) ......................................................................................................... 31 Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP) .......................................................................................... 34 Maurice Corry (West Scotland) (Con) ........................................................................................................ 36 Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) ................................................................................ 39 Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab) ................................................................................................................ 41 Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP) ................................................................................................................. 44 Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con) ......................................................................................................... 46 Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP) ................................................................................................. 49 Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab) ........................................................................................................... 51 Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 54 Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) ................................................................................. 56 Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) ..................................................................................... 59 Alex Cole-Hamilton ..................................................................................................................................... 60 Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) ................................................................................................ 63 Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) .................................................................................................... 66 The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs (Fiona Hyslop) ..................................... 69 BUSINESS MOTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 73 Motions moved—[Graeme Dey]—and agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU MOTIONS ................................................................................................................. 76 Motions moved—[Graeme Dey]. Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab).......................................................................................................... 76 The Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People (Shirley-Anne Somerville) .......................... 77 DECISION TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 80 SIR HUGH MUNRO ........................................................................................................................................... 85 Motion debated—[Liz Smith]. Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) .................................................................................................... 85 Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) ...................................................................................................... 88 Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) .............................................................................................. 90 Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) ................................................................................................... 91 Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green) .............................................................................................................. 92 The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment (Mairi Gougeon) ........................................... 94 1 13 MARCH 2019 2 Michael Matheson: As Mark McDonald will Scottish Parliament appreciate, with a major piece of infrastructure such as the AWPR, there can be a period of Wednesday 13 March 2019 bedding down before local traffic plans are developed for the use of the new road and how it [The Deputy Presiding Officer opened the impacts on secondary roads that come off the meeting at 13:59] road. That work is presently being evaluated to see how travel patterns are being established, Portfolio Question Time including at the very junction to which Mark McDonald refers. Transport, Infrastructure and Technical advisors are undertaking assessments now. They will then evaluate Connectivity whether further measures need to be taken, The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine including the suggestion that Mark McDonald has Grahame): The first item of business is portfolio made. They will report back to Transport Scotland, question time. As usual, to get in as many which will engage with the local authority to members as possible, I request nice short explore what further measures might be necessary questions and nice succinct answers. I live in at that junction. hope. Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab): The cabinet secretary mentioned Traffic Management (A90/A944 Junction) assessments. I am sure that he recognises that 1. Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (Ind): the welcome impact of the AWPR extends beyond To ask the Scottish Government whether it will the immediate vicinity of the new road and to the consider traffic management options for the wider road network. Does he agree that judgments A90/A944 junction. (S5O-02973) on future road network development across the region should be based on traffic assessments The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, that take into account the impact of the AWPR? Infrastructure and Connectivity (Michael Matheson): Technical advisers are closely Michael Matheson: The AWPR is having a monitoring that location. Should the monitoring significant