Meeting of the Parliament Thursday 31 January 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 Thursday 31 January 2019 CONTENTS Col. General Question Time.................................................................................................................................... 1 Ferry Travel (Accessibility) ........................................................................................................................... 1 Northern Isles Ferries (Contract) ................................................................................................................. 2 ScotRail Timetable Changes (Commuters’ Views) ..................................................................................... 3 Congestion on the M8 .................................................................................................................................. 6 Glasgow Airport Access Project ................................................................................................................... 7 First Minister’s Question Time ....................................................................................................................... 10 Princess Royal Maternity Hospital .............................................................................................................. 10 Homelessness ............................................................................................................................................ 13 TalkTalk Job Losses (Stornoway) .............................................................................................................. 16 Kyle Gibbon ................................................................................................................................................ 17 Street Valium (Glasgow) ............................................................................................................................. 18 Blue Water (Coatbridge High Schools) ...................................................................................................... 19 Hepatitis A Outbreak (St Mary’s Primary School) ...................................................................................... 19 People’s Development Trust (Legacy Hub) ................................................................................................ 19 Raytheon (Scottish Government Support) ................................................................................................. 20 Restraint Practices (Schools) ..................................................................................................................... 22 Sexual Offences against Children .............................................................................................................. 24 Teachers’ Pay ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Mountain Rescue Services (Support) ......................................................................................................... 25 Social Media (Harmful Content) ................................................................................................................. 26 Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics .................................................................. 29 Motion debated—[Iain Gray]. Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab ..................................................................................................................... 29 Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP ........................................................................................ 31 Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con .......................................................................................... 33 James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab ....................................................................................................................... 34 Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con .......................................................................................................... 35 The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science (Richard Lochhead........................... 37 Budget (Scotland) (No 3) Bill: Stage 1 ........................................................................................................... 41 Motion moved—[Derek Mackay]. Amendment moved—[Murdo Fraser]. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work (Derek Mackay .......................................... 41 Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con ............................................................................................... 46 Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP ................................................................................................................... 50 James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab ....................................................................................................................... 53 Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green ................................................................................................................ 55 Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD ............................................................................................................ 58 Angela Constance (Almond Valley) (SNP .................................................................................................. 60 Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con ............................................................................................. 62 John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP .................................................................................................. 64 Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab .................................................................................................... 67 Keith Brown (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP .............................................................................. 69 Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con ........................................................................................................................ 72 Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP ..................................................................................................... 74 Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab ......................................................................................................................... 77 Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP ...................................................................................................... 80 Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con ...................................................................................................... 83 Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP ..................................................................................... 85 Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Lab ......................................................................................................... 87 Adam Tomkins (Glasgow) (Con ................................................................................................................. 90 Derek Macka ............................................................................................................................................... 92 Decision Time ................................................................................................................................................ 96 1 31 JANUARY 2019 2 Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) Scottish Parliament (SNP): Can the minister advise Parliament what ferries’ car and passenger numbers were in 2007, Thursday 31 January 2019 what the corresponding numbers were last year, and to what extent the Scottish Government’s [The Presiding Officer opened the meeting at introduction of the RET has helped to improve 11:40] passenger access from the point of view of affordability? General Question Time Paul Wheelhouse: In 2007, CalMac Ferries carried 1.06 million cars, and in 2018 it carried Ferry Travel (Accessibility) 1.43 million cars, which was an increase of 34 per cent. In 2007, it carried 4.73 million passengers 1. Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) and, in 2018, it carried 5.27 million passengers, (Con): To ask the Scottish Government what which was an increase of 11.5 per cent. action it is taking to make ferry travel more accessible. (S5O-02839) We very much welcome the growing demand for ferry services and, as I said in my answer to The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and Donald Cameron, we are keen to keep fares as the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse): The Scottish low as we can. The growing demand reflects the Government is committed to improving access to popularity of our islands with tourists and the ferry travel. Operators of the Clyde and Hebrides success of our policy to introduce the RET. In the and northern isles ferry contracts provide three years since the full roll-out of the RET, in assistance, services and equipment to enable October 2015, passenger numbers across the individuals with reduced mobility to access ferry Clyde and Hebrides services increased by 14 per services. They continually review their service cent and car numbers increased by 25 per cent, provision in an effort to reduce the barriers to which shows the success of the policy. travel for people with reduced mobility. To reassure Kenneth