First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 23 January 2025.
Lorna Slater
Green
Buses in Scotland are too expensive. We see fare hikes every year, with passengers across the country having to fork out even more cash to get on board. As part of this year’s budget negotiations, the Scottish Greens have called for a £2 cap on bus fares. For example, folks living in the First Minister’s Constituency are paying an extortionate £5.10 to travel from Blairgowrie to Perth. A £2 cap on bus fares would save a commuter on that journey £31 a week, or £124 a month. Does the First Minister agree that we should cap fares and make buses in Scotland cheaper?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
I understand the logic of the point that Lorna Slater makes. We want to make sure that public transport is affordable for individuals. In the period in which we worked with the Scottish Green Party in government, we took the step of introducing the concessionary travel scheme for under-22s, which has been a huge benefit. That scheme benefits many of my constituents, and it will benefit many of Lorna Slater’s constituents.
The aspiration of delivering public transport that is as low cost as possible is an aspiration that the Government shares. I am aware of the proposals that have been advanced by the Scottish Green Party, and I give Lorna Slater an assurance that they will be considered seriously by the Scottish Government.
Lorna Slater
Green
Cheaper bus tickets are the right thing for people and planet. They would help people to save money and to leave their cars at home, and they would open up new opportunities. Already, thanks to the introduction of free bus travel for everyone under 22, which was secured by the Scottish Greens, young people across Scotland have made more than 150 million free bus journeys.
We must go further to deliver a truly affordable, reliable and accessible bus network across Scotland. We must reverse the damage of privatisation, protect essential routes and build publicly owned services that deliver for all passengers. What more is the Scottish Government doing to cut the cost of buses and to support workers and commuters?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
We are taking a number of steps, some of which involve investing in the bus fleet. We are trying to lower the carbon footprint of that fleet through the investments that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport is taking forward. We are, obviously, very pleased with how the under-22s concessionary travel system is operating, because that has provided social mobility and opportunity for young people across the country and made a real difference to their lives.
I understand the proposals put forward by the Green Party and the benefits that would arise from being able to implement those proposals. They were not included in the Government’s budget in December, but I give Lorna Slater the assurance that they will be seriously considered by the Government as we move forward with our budget preparations.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
