Seòmar agus comataidhean

I understand that. I just wondered whether you are happy with the pace of progress.

I would like to ask questions about bus use. Although I might not go into the detail that the convener has tried to get into with some of the trains stats, by every measure that I have seen, there is a substantial long-term decline in bus use, whether that is in relation to patronage, mileage or the number of services that we have.

I know that you might want to reflect on the pandemic experience—indeed, we are seeing a slight return to pre-pandemic levels—but I was quite struck to read that bus use peaked around 2007-08 and that it is down by about 31 per cent since then. Why is that the case? What analysis has the Scottish Government done to look at that trend, which looks like a substantial long-term decline?

No, I said that there has been a six-year delay in delivering the guidance—

To be clear, I do not think that the campaigners I mentioned are criticising SPT; they have welcomed the recent progress. I think that I will hand back to you, convener, because the cabinet secretary and I have different perspectives today. However, finally—I know that Mark Ruskell covered this in his questions, but for absolute clarity—when will the statutory guidance be published? Can we get a date, please?

The key thing is that we want to see the franchising being implemented right now. Some progress has been made, but it still has not become a reality, so the dates are important.

Thank you. There is a lot there that colleagues will return to. I will certainly come back with questions on buses.

On issue of safety in the local context—I will leave trunk roads aside for now—we all represent communities that have concerns. You mentioned funding, cabinet secretary. I can think of local examples in Lanarkshire—the convener will be pleased that I will not go into all the detail—where communities are frustrated that, although they raise concerns about accidents and what they would call near misses, they are often told that the road is not as dangerous as other roads or that decisions are made outwith the local authority. There may be a role for Safety Camera Scotland there. Is it about funding? Is it about attitude to risk?

You mentioned driver behaviour, and it is good to hear that more is being done on education and on advertising. However, communities are worried right now, and people who are taking their kids to school in the morning or older people who do not feel confident going out hear from their local authority or the police that other roads are more dangerous and that there is nothing to worry about. What can you say to reassure those communities?

I have some questions that I will hold, and I know that Mark Ruskell also wants to come in. Cabinet secretary, you mentioned the bus infrastructure fund. Is that a multiyear fund, and what can we expect in future budget allocations? Do you believe that it is sufficient to deliver the step change in on-street bus priority measures that will help to deliver a modal shift?

It is a pity that we do not have much more time to talk about this subject. I know that it has been discussed by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, and Mark Ruskell has outlined the frustrations of campaigners and others about the delay in producing the statutory guidance that the committee—and the country—want to see, which we have been led to believe is really important.

There is a commitment that we will see guidance soon, but I do not quite understand what you said about funding, cabinet secretary. We have heard in the chamber, and elsewhere in Parliament, that the UK Government has made a substantial investment available to some regions in England, but I am not clear how the Barnett consequentials would be used.

We know that there is huge public support for franchising. SPT has published its ambitious plans, and there is concern that some of the delays are preventing other regional transport partnerships from going ahead with their proposals. We understand that some of that sits with your ministerial colleague Jim Fairlie. However, it feels as though there is a lack of leadership on this. What can you say today to really reassure people—those communities who feel underserved—who want to use bus services and who want more certainty? What I am seeing from my mailbox, on the street and in the Parliament is that people are lobbying and protesting about the issue. Campaigns such as better buses for Strathclyde and Get Glasgow Moving are grass-roots led—that is where the urgency seems to be coming from. So, in the Government, who are the champions who are taking things forward?

We have talked about the delay in the guidance, but what, really, is causing the delay? Do we need to amend the legislation?

Yes, and that is really positive and I commend SPT for that. However, this has been a time of uncertainty. We have heard about guidance being delayed not by one year but by six years. From where I am sitting, it feels as though we are getting a lot of spin from the Government about Scotland being way ahead of everyone else when, actually, when we speak to constituents, grass-roots campaigners and regional transport bodies, they are saying to us that we are behind. There is a bit of a disconnect here, cabinet secretary.

We can ask them.