6. To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is providing to public transport providers to ensure that services can continue. (S5O-05111)

The cost of additional Covid response measures that have been agreed by the Scottish Government to date is £765 million. That can be broken down into £452 million for rail passenger services, £23 million for light rail, £37 million for ferry services and £253 million for bus, which includes a £61.4 million extension of funding that I announced earlier this week to support bus services until 27 June.

Will the Cabinet secretary commit financial support for bus operators such as Lothian Buses in my region to provide positive messaging and campaigns to support the safe use of public transport when distancing measures are no longer required and users are actively encouraged to return to using public transport?

Lothian Buses is one of the public transport providers that have benefited from the very significant level of funding that we have provided over the past year.

Although it is important to recognise that people should make use of public transport only for essential journeys, it is also important to recognise that making use of public transport is safe, given the very significant measures that have been put in place by public transport providers. One of the important elements that we have taken forward over recent months is the encouragement of operators to maintain high standards in making sure that mitigation measures are in place. Equally, as we transition out of the pandemic, the transport transition plan will set out details of the actions that we will take with public transport providers to encourage people back to using public transport when that it is appropriate and safe; we will look at introducing the means of encouraging people back on to public transport.

I welcome the Scottish Government’s above-inflation increase in financial support for bus, rail and ferry services, all of which Mr Balfour voted against on Tuesday. How will the increase in ferry resource of nearly 13 per cent help to improve both the service and its resilience?

The funding that we are providing for ferry operators allows them to continue to maintain lifeline services to the Clyde and Hebridean network and to the northern isles. Alongside that, it provides them with the opportunity to plan for the delivery of the summer timetable, so that they can take appropriate measures in the recruitment of staff in order to be able to respond to an easing of travel restrictions should that occur in the weeks and months ahead, which I certainly hope will be the case. It has been important in helping to maintain those critical lifeline links and, at the same time, providing operators with the assurance that is necessary for planning the uplifting of the timetable once restrictions are lifted.