Tory MSP Liam Kerr says his part welcome the new appointment of Alex Hyne. 

Mr Kerr says with customer satisfaction down, it is not good enough.

The Tory MSP asks for assurances that Mr Hyne will have the full backing of the government.

Mr Yousaf says he'll not take lectures from a Tory on rail services and he does not recognise the Scottish rail service he describes.

The transport minister says improvements have been made and Mr Hyne will be backed.

The minister says he wrote last week to all parties seeking support around further devolution in Network Rail.

He says: "A properly devolved and accountable Network Rail I believe will bring improved responsibility, improved accountability, improved operational efficiency and better alignment with Scotland’s needs and priorities."

Mr Yousaf concludes wishing Phil Vester well on his new job.

Image source, bbc

ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Phil Verster - who announced last week that he will be leaving his post - said the rail operator was disappointed that its satisfaction figures had not increased.  

The transport minister welcomes the announcment of Alex Hyne to be managing director of the ScotRail Alliance.

Mr Yousaf says tthe government will deliver our ambitious plans, support and grow the economy and deliver a first rate service day in day out for passengers.

Mr Yousaf says there will be a free week of travel offered to Annual & Monthly Season Ticket holders this year. 

There will also be further discounts offered to weekly and less frequent travellers, whether for work or for leisure, particularly when using a ScotRail smartcard for journeys.  

The minister says: "All of this backed by £3m of funding – £1m more than those in the opposition were calling for."

Mr Yousaf says: "I am however disappointed at the National Passenger Survey results published today." 

The minister says: "The survey itself took place back in Autumn before the Improvement Plan that I demanded from ScotRail had started to take effect."

Mr Yousaf says the comparisons with the rest of the GB rail network also tell their own story.  

He says ScotRail’s bettering performance has seen them increase the gap between how well  they are performing compared to railways across GB – ScotRail is now 2.3%  better than the GB average.

Mr Yousaf says ScotRail is not yet performing at the level he would like it to. 

The minister says: "However, let’s also be clear Presiding Officer, neither is the situation the apocalyptic scenario often painted by our opponents"

He says: "There has been stability or improvement over the last three railway periods."

The minister says since the improvement plan was received there has been an improvement in performance:

• the Moving Annual Average PPM, the contractual measure, has improved from 89.6% in Period 6 to 90%. 
• that is 0.3% away from ScotRail’s target of 90.3% which will lift them out of improvement plan territory

Mr Yousaf says when he received the Performance Improvement Plan the Moving Annual Average performance level was at 89.6%, against the contractual trigger of 90.3%. 

The minister says the latest information is that over 86 actions have been completed and the vast majority of those remaining are currently underway. 

He says the improvement plan was also backed by £16m of accelerated funding by the ScotRail Alliance.

The minister says: "We have seen an improvement in performance across the railway network in Scotland."

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf says he welcomes this opportunity to update Parliament on the progress of ScotRail’s improvement plan. 

Mr Yousaf says he knows members are also keen for an update on management changes recently announced by Network Rail and Abellio in regards to the ScotRail franchise and detail on the “Free Week” fares offer.

Image source, Getty Images

Passenger satisfaction with ScotRail services has fallen but remains higher than the UK as a whole, despite problems with delays and cancellations.

The latest National Rail Passenger Satisfaction (NRPS) figures, external showed that 83% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their ScotRail journey.

This was four percentage points lower than the previous survey, external last June, and seven points lower than a year ago.

The figure for the UK as a whole in the most recent survey was 81%.

The fieldwork for the survey, carried out by Transport Focus, was conducted between September and November 2016.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf will now give MSPs an update on the ScotRail Performance Improvement Plan.

Image source, JOHN MCELWEE

The minister says in completing the devolution of forestry the Scottish government will continue to work with the UK  on disease prevention and research.

Mr Ewing says it will bring greater accountability and he insists the government will work in partnerships with local authorities.

He says he recognises the government has not planted enough trees.

The rural economy secretary says forestry can be a terrific career.

Image source, bbc

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing says this has been an excellent debate and he says he is grateful to all members for their contribution.

Mr Ewing says the debate has provided a lot of support for forestry.

He says the Scottish government have an important role in forestry and he wishes to work in partnership with them.

The rural economy secretary says he welcomes the compensatory planting required by local authorities of developers.

Tory MSP Maurice Golden says forests are one of the iconic industries of Scotland's natural beauty.

Mr Golden says forests contribute £1bn to the economy.

The Tory MSP asks how parliament can be assured the government will reach a greater target when the last one was not met.

He says there are occasions where central leadership is required and overall the government must play a bigger role. 

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant says this has been a good and consensual debate.

Ms Grant says timber must be used well to get the best carbon sequestration.

She says this must be built into the plan for forestry.

The Labour MSP says deer management is really important.

She says her party wants to see the avoidance of forestry falling under private ownershp.

Greens MSP Andy Wightman says his party looks forward to discussing their ideas for the new Forestry Bill.

Mr Wightman says there are opportunities for people to invest in forests.

He says his party will support the Tory amendment.

Mr Wightman says timber is too often taken to distant markets and the Scottish Greens do not agree that this is a good use of public money.

Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles says it is clear that as the target for woodland increases over the next few years, so must the budget.

Mr Rumbles says this is for future budgets but he will not look too far ahead.

The Lib Dem MSP says he supports the Tory and Labour amendments and will also support the government motion.

He says his party will support the small budget increase for forestry even if they do not support the budget itself. 

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Richard Lyle says he intends to echo much of what has been said by his colleagues.

Mr Lyle says in particular he wants to highlight how valuable the forestry sector is for Scotland.

He says the sector is worth around £1bn per annum and supports some 25,000 jobs.

The SNP MSP says the sector plays a hugely important part in tackling climate change.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain says forestry is good for the environment and vital for the economy.

Mr Mountain says the government missing its planting target means that the industry is saying we will have to plant 13,000 hectares per year.

The Tory MSP says there is no evidence to suggest the government will reach 10,000 hectares per year.

He says the consultation process can be "soul destroying". 

"No wonder forestry doesn't get planted," he says. 

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish says there is a need for collaborative research in tree health across the UK.

Ms Beamish says there is a wealth of land owned by the local community already in the south of Scotland.

The Labour MSP says woodland is now far more accessible as a space. 

She says woodland also provides opportunities to reduce fuel poverty, house building and art and craft opportunities.