This article was first published in the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald and other Scottish Provincial Press publications.

You may have heard of a report recently produced by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston.

The report has been widely cited as it takes an in depth look at the pernicious social security policies of the UK Government, describing the Tories flagship policy change, Universal Credit, as “Universal Discredit”. Professor Alston also highlighted the hugely gendered nature of the UK Government’s atrocious programme of social security cuts commenting that it looked like it had been designed by, “a group of misogynists in a room.”

One aspect of the report, which has not had a great deal of coverage so far relates to bus services.

The report states, “Transport, especially in rural areas, should be considered an essential service, equivalent to water and electricity.” I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, and it is one of the reasons I started my Better Buses campaign, which aims to capture the experience of bus users across the country.

Bus patronage has been falling year on year, and while the Scottish Government’s Transport Bill does propose some initiatives in relation to bus services, it does not go anywhere near far enough, and will do nothing to offer communities, particularly those is rural areas, the good quality services that they need.

Local Councils should be empowered to provide bus services that serve the needs of our diverse communities, many of which are currently cut off from services, with commercial operators deeming them unviable.

The Scottish Government does provide some funding to support the provision of services, but it announced a cut of £7 million to this support in its draft budget.

While the current system of bus operation is complex and frustrating, it is disappointing that the Scottish Government is neither providing the necessary financial support, nor suggesting a new model to support communities.

Around a third of people do not have access to a private car, yet the Scottish Government’s transport policies are almost exclusively focused on this mode of transport. Government policies should focus on the needs of everyone in our communities, not only those who have a car.

We need to tackle the issues of congestion, air pollution, and climate change urgently.

Academy Street in Inverness city centre is among Scotland’s most polluted streets, and air pollution is responsible for around 2500 deaths in Scotland each year. It is therefore vital that we encourage folk to leave their cars at home, but we can only achieve this if we make the alternatives more attractive.

If we are going to do this the Scottish Government needs to prioritise bus services, which are reasonably priced, clean, and reliable.

Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie has called on the Scottish Government to take control of the ScotRail shambles, in the Scottish Parliament today (8 Jan 2019).

Mr Finnie once again highlighted the poor service commuters in the Highlands, and across the country, have been receiving in recent months, asking the Cabinet Secretary for Transport what level of mismanagement is required from Abellio before Ministers will take control of the situation.

John Finnie said:

“Passengers have been failed time and again by ScotRail over recent months, with overcrowded, understaffed, delayed, or cancelled services becoming the norm for many passengers. Abellio has been given multiple chances to improve, and it is quite clear that they are providing a substandard service. It cannot be right that they can continue to fail, and face no serious repercussions.

“I am pleased that the Cabinet Secretary finally hinted today that ending the franchise early was an option he would consider. Given Abellio’s pitiful performance, this cannot come soon enough.”

Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie has called on the Scottish Government to end the current ScotRail franchise as chaos continues across the rail network.

Mr Finnie, The Greens’ Transport spokesperson, made the call in parliament this afternoon (18 Dec 2018). He highlighted the Scottish Government’s ambition to take control of Network Rail, which is currently controlled by the UK Government. Greens support the devolution of Network Rail, and believe that both track and train operations should be run by a public sector operator.

John Finnie MSP said:

“ScotRail’s performance has gone from bad to worse in recent months, and the Scottish Government’s response has been wholly inadequate. Simply ordering review after review, while ScotRail’s performance continues to get worse is not good enough.

“Greens support the Scottish Government’s ambition to see Network Rail devolved. However, there seems little point in seeking control of one part of the rail operation, while franchising out another. The Transport Secretary must bring to an end Abellio’s disastrous reign and put in place a public sector operator to run Scotland’s railways exclusively in the public interest, at the earliest opportunity.”

Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie has called on the Scottish Government to ensure Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) is adequately delivering for the remote, rural and island communities it is supposed to serve.

HIAL operates airports in the Highlands and Islands on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Mr Finnie highlighted a number of areas where the company is failing in its duties, in the Scottish Parliament this morning (6 Dec 18).

• Inverness Airport has received a ‘very poor’ environmental compliance rating from SEPA for four years in a row.
• Air Traffic Controllers may be about to go on strike over pay and plans to centralise air traffic control operations.
• HIAL has repeatedly failed to consult the remote, rural & island communities it is supposed to serve, on behalf of ministers, on important issues including the introduction of parking charges.

Mr Finnie said:

“HIAL is wholly owned by Scottish Ministers and has a duty to serve communities throughout the Highlands and Islands. It is becoming increasingly clear that the organisation is failing on a number of fronts. Ministers must take responsibility for these failures and commit to urgently improving the service its company provides to my constituents. I gave the Cabinet Secretary for Transport the opportunity to express confidence in HIAL’s management and it won’t be lost on HIAL, and the wider public, that he chose not to endorse their performance.”

Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie has today (15 Nov 2018) called on the Scottish Government to mandate, “robust, tamper proof, vessel tracking” following reports of illegal scallop dredging at Gairloch in Wester Ross. [1]

John Finnie highlighted the call from Open Seas to introduce the vessel tracking technology at First Ministers Questions, and the First Minister advised that the government would give consideration to the proposal.

Mr Finnie has raised concerns with the Scottish Government over the capacity of Marine Scotland’s compliance fleet repeatedly this year, most recently with the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. [2]

John Finnie MSP said:

“I’ve repeatedly raised concerns with the Scottish Government regarding Marine Scotland’s capacity. Around 20% of Scotland’s vast marine area is designated as part of the marine protection network, yet with a fleet of just three compliance vessels, it is clear that Marine Scotland does not have the capacity to adequately manage Scotland’s seas.

“Robust vessel tracking technology would greatly assist in ensuring compliance and I am pleased that the First Minister indicated this is a step the Scottish Government is willing to consider when I questioned her on the matter. It is vital that we provide our compliance officials with all the tools necessary to adequately protect Scotland’s waters.”