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Transport Scotland officials have met bus industry representatives on a number of occasions to discuss concessionary travel reimbursement terms for 2017-18.

In the coming months the Scottish Government will be consulting on ways in which to ensure the longer term sustainability of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme and on the implementation of our commitments to extend free bus travel to young modern apprentices and job grant recipients.

Transport Scotland will be engaging initially with stakeholders to get their views, so that we understand the social, equality and other impacts of any potential changes. This will help inform a formal public consultation later in the year.

People are living longer, staying healthy longer, and staying in work later in life. We want to ensure that our successful concessionary travel scheme continues to benefit those who have the greatest reliance on free bus travel. However, we do not plan to make any changes to the eligibility criteria for the scheme for those with a disability. We will also safeguard the position of existing card holders and ensure that any changes will not affect those already in possession of bus passes.

Following a series of meetings between Transport Scotland officials and representatives of the bus industry, agreement was reached on reimbursement terms for bus operators for the National Concessionary Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People for 2017-18 on 24 January 2017. The agreement will be implemented by Statutory Instrument, which will enter into force on 1 April 2017 subject to Parliamentary approval.

Demand for concessionary bus travel, in terms of number of journeys, fell slightly between 2013-14 and 2015-16, from 146.9 million journeys to 145.2 million journeys. The latest forecast outturn suggests there will be around 144.4 million concessionary journeys in total during 2016-17. For the purposes of next year's reimbursement terms, we have assumed, following discussions with bus industry representatives, a slight increase in journey numbers in 2017-18, to 144.7 million.

The majority of the Glasgow suburban rail network is already electrified. Since 2007 the Glasgow electrified suburban rail network has already been expanded by the addition of through electric services to Edinburgh through Airdrie and Bathgate, followed by the electrification of the Paisley Canal route in 2012 and the Glasgow to Cumbernauld and Whifflet routes in 2014.

The Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) continues to make good progress, with physical electrification work on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route nearing completion and the first electric trains expected to enter service in July 2017. The Shotts Electrification project, scheduled for completion by March 2019, will also make a significant contribution towards the main investment objectives of delivering improvements to strengthen the connectivity between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The electrification of the Stirling Dunblane Alloa lines (SDA) is also progressing, with the first electric trains expected to enter service in December 2018.

Further electrification schemes in the Glasgow area will be considered as part of the broader rail infrastructure strategy and investment priorities beyond 2019. Any investment decisions will be subject to business case and affordability.

The draft budget for concessionary bus travel in 2017-18 reflects a number of factors.

Bus fares and concessionary passenger journey numbers have risen by less than expected in the last two years. As a result, we have spent less than anticipated on reimbursing bus operators. The proposed funding cap for 2017-18 is just over 2% more than the latest forecast outturn for reimbursement claims in 2016-17, which is £192m.

The draft budget also reflects the possibility that options might be identified through engagement with stakeholders and consultation that start to ensure the long term sustainability.

The Scottish Government and its agencies continue to work closely with Renfrewshire Council to support inclusive growth and employment opportunities in the area, responding to the potential impact of recent company decisions. We welcome Chivas Brothers' commitment to offering its permanent staff at its Paisley site posts at the Dumbarton facility and working with staff to address the practical issues associated with the transfer. We recognise that the relocation will have an impact on Paisley and I am convening a roundtable in February to explore workforce issues and the future use of the site to ensure we can deliver the best outcome for the workforce, Paisley and the Renfrewshire economy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29965 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The designation and protection of land through the planning process is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Scottish Planning Policy sets out the Scottish Government’s policy on nationally important land use planning matters.

There are no plans agreed to delay the introduction of HSTs to Scotland. The Scottish Government are happy to work constructively with partners in DfT and with ScotRail to assist where we can, but our priority properly must remain further improvements to rail services for the people of Scotland.