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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 November 2024
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Displaying 1319 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

We have heard evidence suggesting that it has been difficult for private firms to come in and invest in EV charging. Have you heard that, too? I am not quite sure what it was in relation to.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

I am trying to be open and honest, convener.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

No, convener. It is on the fair fares review—I wish that its name would be changed.

I believe that there is a travel companion for blind persons card for buses but not for rail. Is that something that the Government will look at again?

12:00  

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

Cabinet secretary, to date there have been three applications to buy abandoned, neglected or detrimental land, none of which were approved. One application has been made to buy land to further sustainable development and it is under consideration. The community right to buy does not appear to be working, does it?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

If I remember rightly, we began with a ban on alcohol after 9 o’clock, which then changed. I am not saying that I am for it; I am trying to understand the Government’s position and whether, or when, there will be a review.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

I will move to my next question. I remember getting on my first InterCity 125 train as a four-year-old lad, before I had even started school. That was 48 years ago, but the high-speed trains are obviously still in place. Rail unions have expressed their concerns about the crash worthiness of those trains, following the Carmont derailment. What is the current plan for retiring those trains?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

The east coast electrification obviously has to happen before the trains are replaced, but do you expect it to happen before 2030?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

Do you still think that that is realistic? That is the point.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

My point was more that there is a commitment but it does not appear to have been met. You will understand why I am asking the question. Last Thursday, the road was closed in both directions near Huntly due to another serious accident. A response to a freedom of information request that came out just yesterday shows that, in the past four years, there have been 11 fatalities on the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen, and 82 serious injuries.

As the project gets delayed even more, we are letting families down, because they are being seriously impacted by what is happening on the road. That is why I am pushing you on the subject and trying to get an answer. Is there still a commitment to do the work by 2030? That does not seem to be a commitment that you are able to honour at this time.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Scottish Government Priorities

Meeting date: 19 September 2023

Douglas Lumsden

Do we need to change the criteria to make it more attractive and to encourage more of those applications to take place?