2. To ask the First Minister when she will next meet HIV Scotland. (S5F-00341)

As an organisation that is almost fully funded by the Scottish Government, HIV Scotland is one that officials of the Scottish Government have regular contact with. Indeed, the Minister for Public Health and Sport last met the chief executive of HIV Scotland on 23 August.

Across Scotland this morning, tens of thousands of people stood on station platforms as they started their daily commute. In October 2014, as Minister for Transport and Veterans, Keith Brown said that the new franchise agreement that had been awarded to Abellio was not only

“a world leading contract to deliver for rail staff and passengers” but one that would

“benefit the whole of Scotland.”

Does the First Minister believe that those promises to passengers have been kept?

The First Minister:

The contract was awarded because it was considered to be the contract in the best interests of passengers across Scotland. However, it is absolutely incumbent on Abellio as the holder of that contract to continue to ensure that it delivers services that meet the expectations of the travelling public. The Scottish Government will continue to liaise with ScotRail on an on-going basis to ensure that that is the case.

I am delighted that the recent dispute around driver-operated doors has been settled and that the public do not have the expectation of further industrial action episodes as a result of that.

I doubt that commuters on the morning train from Dundee to Edinburgh or North Berwick to Edinburgh, or on the nightly commute from Cumbernauld to Dalmuir, would agree that Scotland has a world-leading contract or, indeed, that the expectations of the public are being met.

In the past few months, Scotland’s rail passengers have faced cancellations, delays and overcrowding, and new figures this week show that a third of all routes in Scotland have services that are late more often than they are on time. At the same time,

Abellio is raking it in: it is getting £1 million a month in profits from that franchise. Does the First Minister agree that, although Scotland’s rail network might be working for the transport bosses, it is certainly not working for Scotland’s commuters?

The First Minister:

Kezia Dugdale is right to raise the concerns of the travelling public, as they have a right to expect services that run on time and which they can rely on. It is because the Scottish Government is so firm in that commitment that, under the contract terms, it requested from ScotRail on 26 August an improvement plan. I assume that Kezia Dugdale is aware of that. That was received on 16 September.

We are absolutely committed to working with ScotRail to deliver a quality service to passengers. That is our responsibility, and we are serious in ensuring that we discharge that responsibility.

That is interesting, as I have that improvement plan in front of me. In fact, there is a boast of a press release from Humza Yousaf this week about £3 million-worth of extra investment to improve passenger comfort and accessibility on our railways. It says that the Government will spend money on passenger counting equipment so that we can see how overcrowded the trains are. The First Minister should just get on a train to appreciate how overcrowded the trains are.

The First Minister needs to be honest about the experience that passengers face. Here is the thing: since 2011, the average weekly earnings of commuters rose by only 6 per cent, but the Scottish Government’s cap on rush-hour rail fares increased by over 23 per cent. Let me make that absolutely clear: that is a rise four times faster than the rise in earnings. Those who travel by train to their work every day are paying more for a shocking service and Scottish commuters are fed up of the First Minister’s excuses. This is her responsibility. What will she do to get things back on track?

The First Minister:

I do not think that anybody who is listening to this exchange will have heard me make any excuses. I have said that it is our responsibility, working with ScotRail, to ensure that a quality service is delivered. That is exactly why the Minister for Transport and the Islands has taken the action that he has taken, and we continue to invest significant sums of money in the rail network to ensure that that responsibility is discharged.

I do not quibble at all about Kezia Dugdale’s right to come to the chamber to raise those concerns. I understand the concerns of the travelling public, but my job and the transport minister’s job is to get on with fixing the problems, not to just carp from the sidelines.

There are a couple of supplementaries, the first of which is from Bruce Crawford.

Will the First Minister confirm that she is aware that HSBC is intent on relocating around 200 high-quality jobs from Stirling? [

Interruption

.] The lot on the Labour benches should listen to what I am saying. Does the First Minister agree that that intention will have an obvious impact on individuals and the local economy? Given that disappointing news, does she agree that that strengthens the case for Stirling to successfully secure a city deal that is based on its excellent business case?

The First Minister:

I am, of course, aware of the situation at HSBC, and I fully appreciate how anxious a time this is for the company’s employees and their families. The Scottish Government will do all that it can to support those who are affected at this time. Scottish Enterprise is already engaging with HSBC to explore all possible avenues for supporting the business and its workforce. In the unfortunate event that any redundancies proceed, our partnership action for continuing employment organisation will, of course, be fully engaged.

I had a brief conversation about the Stirling city deal at another event with the leader of Stirling Council yesterday. I understand that the discussions are progressing well and, while no conclusions have been reached, I hope that Bruce Crawford will see from the experience in other cities such as Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen that the Government is very committed to taking forward city deals where we can.

The First Minister will be aware that on 23 October First Glasgow will make substantial changes to bus routes. That will affect many of my constituents, as well as bus passengers in her Constituency and the transport minister’s, too.

Under this Government the number of bus passenger journeys is down by 74 million since 2007, and routes have been cut by 66 million kilometres over the same period. How many bus services have to be withdrawn before this Government backs any form of regulation? At the very least, does the First Minister not think that it should not be so easy for bus companies to walk away at short notice, without any formal consultation, from the communities that we represent?

The First Minister:

First Glasgow, and indeed all other bus companies, should consult very closely with local communities before making any changes to local services. That is what I would expect of First Glasgow. As a local Constituency MSP representing the south side of Glasgow, I regularly have discussions with First Glasgow about services that run in and through my constituency, and I know that other MSPs do likewise.

These are important issues—people in our constituencies depend on bus services and I expect their views to be taken into account when decisions are taken.

Will the First Minister join me in welcoming to the gallery a delegation of campaigners from the Dunoon to Gourock ferry action group from my region? Can she confirm that it is the Scottish Government’s policy to provide a vehicle and passenger ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon town centres, and whether David MacBrayne Limited, which is wholly owned by the Scottish ministers, was instructed to tender under the Gourock to Dunoon exercise?

The First Minister:

First, I welcome to the chamber the campaigners from the Dunoon to Gourock ferry service. I know many of them well, because in one of my previous Government jobs I had the responsibility for taking forward this work. I absolutely appreciate the strength of feeling about the town centre to town centre vehicle service issue. As David Stewart will appreciate, we are now in a live procurement exercise and there are strict limitations on ministerial involvement in that tendering exercise and what I am able to say at this stage. I hope that he, and indeed the campaigners, will appreciate from my previous involvement how serious we are in seeking to make sure that there is a service running on that route that meets the expectations of those who rely on it.