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I suspect that most of my constituents had never heard of WICS until this scandal erupted. Many more of them are now aware of this important regulator because of what they have heard in the media, but it is for all the wrong reasons. That is unfortunate, because WICS has a really important job to do.

Given what we now know, it is astonishing that the former CEO was at the helm of the organisation for almost a quarter of a century. I did not have a lot of interaction with WICS, but, as a member of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, I have been involved in panels where we questioned that organisation. At the time—and I think that other colleagues shared my view—I felt that there was a hostility to scrutiny and to questions, so perhaps that should have been a red flag.

I welcome the cabinet secretary, who has inherited a lot of this work, letting the Parliament know that lessons have been learned and changes have been made, but I share the concerns of other members, including Colin Beattie, that the approach cannot be short term. How can we be confident that this situation can never happen again and that it never happens in any other organisation?

Colleagues are right—today, we are looking not just at the culture of the organisation but at all the infrastructure around it. We have seen massive failings in governance and financial control. It is about greed and entitlement. Those people thought that they could go to their work and go out for dinner with their colleagues and cronies and spend hundreds of pounds on booze and fancy meals in luxury hotels and restaurants.

As we talk about this today, I am reminded that tomorrow is national food bank day. Many of our constituents, including many people who are in work, rely on food banks to feed themselves and their families. That is why people are angry when they hear about these kinds of scandals.

Colleagues have talked about the importance of Scottish Water. WICS is the economic regulator of the water industry, and Sarah Boyack set out why it is important that we have a properly functioning regulator. Over the summer, but also over the past few years, industrial relations have been at an all-time low in Scottish Water. The workforce has lost confidence in the senior management team at Scottish Water, and the regulator does not seem to care.

In the cabinet secretary’s reply over the summer to my letter to the First Minister, I think that there was a recognition that things have to improve at Scottish Water. However, I would like to say to the cabinet secretary today that, if the regulator was not doing its job and we cannot rely on the judgment of that organisation in recent times, we must look again at decisions that have been taken at Scottish Water that affect the current workforce, and consider the very real fear that we are seeing backdoor privatisation. I am looking at the cabinet secretary’s face and I can see that she is disagreeing—I am happy for her to intervene. If we look at some recent reports on this and listen to the workers—I urge the cabinet secretary to do so—we see that they are very unhappy and that they are raising the issue because they believe that it is in the public interest to do so.

We all want world-class water in Scotland. We want safe, high-quality water—the issues about water scarcity were rehearsed at First Minister’s question time—but we need to have confidence in the regulator, Scottish Water and the Government, and confidence that they will not take their eye off the ball again. I would be happy to hear the cabinet secretary’s response to that.

Will the member give way?

On that hopeful note, I will hand back to the convener.

If we are to have significant progress, we need to see more work on waste reduction and a system change in embedding reuse and repair in our daily lives, our communities and our industries. Does the CCC have any advice for the Scottish Government about which measures will be needed to support our local authorities and the third sector to make that easier for people? We talk a lot about behaviour and about culture change, but how can we make that easier for people? What are the levers at UK level? We are in danger of giving the public mixed messages if we ramp up the infrastructure for energy from waste at a time when we are still struggling to do more recycling and to be more efficient with resources. Regarding bigger industries, is there anything that you can say about construction and about the vehicle and textile industries, which are some of the biggest emitters of waste?

Next week, our committee will be hearing from witnesses on the latest climate science and on climate impacts in Scotland. Today, we have been addressing Scotland’s emissions, but it would be helpful to hear from you briefly about where we are globally on emissions reductions and whether Scotland should be preparing for greater levels of climate change than we might have been expecting a few years ago.

I will turn to the issue of waste. It is the eighth highest-emitting sector in Scotland, so we know that we have a lot to do in reducing waste and becoming a more circular economy. My question is about the infrastructure for energy from waste. Scotland has a moratorium on that, but energy production from waste emissions continues to increase and new plants are in the pipeline and have planning consent, although they have not yet been built. It would be helpful to clarify the assumptions that the Climate Change Committee has made about Scotland’s total capacity for energy from waste and the implications that that might have for Scotland.

Thank you, convener, and good morning to our witnesses. I return to the issue of surface transport because it is our highest emitting sector. We have had some important questions from Kevin Stewart, but, if I may, I will dig in a little further. Some good schemes have been highlighted, such as the scrapping of peak rail fares and the concessionary travel schemes for under-22s and older people in Scotland. When I speak to constituents and other people around Scotland, however, they want public transport to be more integrated, to be easier to use and to be more reliable. Affordability is an issue, but people want to be able to get around as quickly as possible and to avoid congestion.

How can we make the bus more attractive to people? I had a quick look at the figures, and I think that it is still the case that bus patronage in Scotland is declining. That has been a trend for the past decade, notwithstanding the period of Covid lockdowns. In contrast, in Greater Manchester, where there is an ambitious bus strategy, there has been a recovery in bus patronage.

Are there examples elsewhere in the UK or internationally that you would like to bring to our attention and to the attention of the Scottish Government? How do we achieve the balance between carrot and stick? I am quite concerned that Glasgow City Council is proposing road charging for people who visit the city at a time when public transport is still not as good as it needs to be.

I want to ask a final question, if I may. I am aware that some political actors would probably rename this committee the Net Stupid Zero Committee, which I would strongly resist. On a serious point, though, there has been a change in mood in how we discuss climate and net zero issues. What is the best advice that you could give politicians and Governments who are faced with these challenges on how we can continue to develop evidence-based policy and action to counter some of the political slogans that have developed?

We are up against the clock, but you mentioned Wales as a good example of recycling that the Scottish Government could learn from. Can you briefly touch on what in Wales is working well?

I thank Patrick Harvie for making us all stay late. No, seriously—we thank him for securing this important debate on the future of Glasgow’s bus services.

The issues that are raised in his motion impact my constituents in central Scotland, too, and I know that members across the chamber are passionate about improving bus services in our communities, as we heard in the thoughtful speeches tonight, even though people are a bit on the tired side this evening.

I hope that the minister feels energised hearing that colleagues, regardless of party or where we sit in the chamber, feel very strongly about the issue and want to work together on solutions.

No one wants to live in a bus desert. Graham Simpson, who has disappeared from the screen, highlighted the real concern about that issue that many of us share, and it is becoming a reality for too many communities. The term “bus desert” has appeared in the Official Report too many times for my liking.

As a member of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, I am keenly aware of the challenges and opportunities that decision makers face. I join colleagues in paying tribute to Get Glasgow Moving for its better buses for Strathclyde campaign, which is supported by more than 12,000 people and counting across the region. I thank Ellie Harrison and all the volunteer campaigners, because they do that work in their own time. I am sure that, at times, it is very stressful and tiring, but that lived experience is valuable.

Mark Ruskell and others have addressed some of the challenges around the franchising process and have mentioned some of the barriers. Colleagues, including Bob Doris, have talked about bus services and routes that they care about. Clare Haughey and other colleagues have mentioned the 65 route, which is operated by First Bus at the moment. That makes me think back to our experience in Hamilton with the X1 bus service, which the minister and other colleagues have heard me talk about a lot. Again, with First Bus, there was a real lack of consultation, transparency and accountability, and a lack of responsibility regarding what was in the public interest.

Through community efforts, people did not give up on the X1 bus service. I pay tribute to JMB Travel, a small operator that saw the opportunity that was presented by the public’s demand and need for the service. The X1 bus service has been resurrected, and we again have a fast route through Hamilton, into the town centre and on to Glasgow city centre. However, the preservation of such services should not be down to luck and hard work on the part of communities, because not everyone has the capacity and resilience to do that.