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Labour MSP Claire Baker says her party will not be supporting the general principles of this bill.

Ms Baker calls on the government to withdraw the Railway Policing Bill.

She says unions have opposed the bill and there are concerns about the erosion of expertise and about safety.

Ms Baker says all three trade unions working in the sector oppose the bill.

She says there are concerns about tackling terrorism and integration into a service under a huge financial pressure.

Tory MSP Douglas Ross says this could jeopardise cross-border work on terrorism.

Mr Ross says the rail delivery group pointed out that integration was the only option on the table.

He says the evidence the committee has heard provides no real reason for this merger to go ahead.

Mr Ross says "the SNP has an obsession with cutting ties with anything that includes the word British". 

He questions why the SNP is "steaming ahead to fix something which isn't broken".

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Tory MSP Douglas Ross says his amendment calling for the BTP to continue with increased Holyrood scrutiny was not accepted by the presiding officer but he will return to it.

Mr Ross pays tribute to the staff of the BTP.

The Tory MSP says his party support the Smith Commission recommendation to devolve railway policing but insists there is more than one option.

He says the SNP omission to look at any other option "seems the height of legislative laziness".

Ms Mitchell raises concerns about costs omitted from the financial memorandum for the bill.

The Conservative MSP says it is imperative that police officers from both Scotland and England are clear on responsibilities and jurisidction.

The committee convener says maintaining the safety and security of those travelling by train is paramount and protocols must be agreed.

She concludes saying the current high level of confidence in rail travel must be maintained.

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Ms Mitchell says retaining BTP officers and staff who have the skills and knowledge is essential. 

The Justice Committee convener says retaining BTP officers and staff is largely dependent on whether their conditions are maintained, "this needs to be urgently resolved," she says. 

Ms Mitchell thanks the transport minister for his response but says that she remains concerned that this has not been resolved.

She says the issue of railway safety certificates is one which is concerning because evidence suggests that all officers would require personal track certificates. 

SNP MSP Rona Mackay intervenes to say she does not remember hearing that evidence on the committee.

Ms Mitchell refers Ms Mackay to the committee papers and stage one debate. 

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Justice Committee convener Margaret Mitchell says the model for the devolution of railway policing was not agreed by the Smith Commission.

Ms Mitchell says some respondents raised concerns about the governments consulting on only one option full integration.

The Conservative MSP says the committee did not come to a unanimous view on the Railway Policing Bill, with a minority not supporting the general principles of the bill, including herself.

The minister says if the general principles are agreed today, a number of issues must be addressed.

Mr Yousaf says the cabinet secretary for justice has met with stakeholders as has he. 

The transport minister says he will continue to engage with unions on the issues that they have and pension discussions are underway to ensure there is no detriment to pensions.

He says he has sent the Justice Committee his response to all questions. 

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The transport minister says the government have listened to the BTP federation and the union and has delivered reassurances to their concerns.

Mr Yousaf says the terms and conditions, pay and pensions of officers and staff will be to no detriment in the transfer.

Labour MSP Neil Bibby says there is a lot of union opposition with the threat of industrial action on the railways.

Mr Yousaf says the engagement with the unions has been constructive and he stresses again the triple lock guarantee on jobs, pay and pensions.

Mr Yousaf says Police Scotland's intention is to maintain a specialists policing unit for railways within Police Scotland.

The transport minister says if you are a BTP officer in Scotland at the moment and want to remain on Scotland's railways you can do so.

He says he agrees with the committees recommendations that the railway operatives should be involved. 

Mr Yousaf says following a recent meeting there was support for a shadow forum to operate during the planning process and this work can start after the bill's passage through parliament. 

Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins acknowledged there was a "risk that the skill base will be diluted", but added that "it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen".

He said railway training will eventually form part of the basic training for all Police Scotland officers, saying this would result in "17,000 officers with the skills to operate within the railway environment", alongside a smaller number with "bespoke" specialist skills.

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Mr Higgins said that while officers could "potentially" be redeployed in the case of a major incident, there would "absolutely" be a specialist transport policing unit and those transferring in from BTP would have the right to remain policing only the railways until they retire.

Meanwhile, committee convener Margaret Mitchell pointed out that railway policing officers elsewhere in the UK are trained to carry tasers, while in Scotland only specialist firearms officers are armed with them.

Mr Higgins said he would have to "assess the threat within the wider rail network" to see if it was "appropriate" to continue to allow railway policing staff in Scotland to carry tasers after the merger, while finding "the best way to mitigate threat". 

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Labour MSP Elaine Smith asks why only one option was consulted on.

Mr Yousaf says when this was consulted on no other options came from Labour.

He says the committee heard of some concerns about integration but also heard from a number of the government's key partners on how those concerns are being addressed.

The transport minister says the government is fully committed to ensuring railway policing is accountable to the parliament and the Scottish people.

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The chief constable of British Transport Police has warned plans for a merger with Police Scotland could lead to a loss of specialist skills.

Paul Crowther told Holyrood's justice committee of a "real challenge" in replacing officers amid a "significant outflow of expertise".

He told MSPs of the bomb threats, fatalities and near-death incidents officers often have to deal with.

Police Scotland has called the merger plan "complex but not insurmountable".

Read more here. 

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf says this bill follows on from the transfer of powers within the Scotland Act.

The transport minister says the bill aims to bring the control of railway policing into Police Scotland.

"Scotland's railways are a vital component of our infrastructure," he says. 

Mr Yousaf says the objective is to maintain the standards of safety that exists at the moment.

Of 11 justice committee members, seven backed the general principles of the Railway Policing Bill, with four dissenting.

They pointed out that BTP had proposed three options for devolving railway policing, noting concerns about the Scottish government's decision to only consult on one option - the option the force had outlined as "the most complex route".

Committee convener Margaret Mitchell, who was among those against the bill, said members had heard "a variety of opinions about the best approach for railway policing".

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She said: "The committee did not arrive at a unanimous position on the bill's general principles, with some members backing an alternative approach.

"The committee report made a number of clear recommendations to ensure that the same level of service that the travelling public currently enjoys is maintained.

"These include the recommendations that strong procedures should be in place to manage cross-border issues, such as the powers of officers to carry out their duties as they travel between Scotland and England, and also that officers must be clear on operational issues such as the use of Tasers and the powers of arrest.

"All members agree that protecting the travelling public is of the utmost importance."

The target date for integration  of railway policing into Police Scotland is 1 April 2019.

The justice committee report noted there was "willingness to work collaboratively to meet" this "deadline", but said railway operators, unions, staff associations and passenger groups should be brought together as soon as possible "to ensure what any risks are identified and mitigated prior to integration".

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It also said the committee heard that the costs of railway policing could increase as a result of integration, but that "it had not yet been determined what these costs might be or who should pay them".

The report highlighted that agreement of terms, conditions, benefits and pensions of BTP staff and officers had not yet been reached, saying that "resolving this issue is critical to achieving a seamless transfer".

Members also said it was "imperative" that forces were clear about their roles and responsibilities policing cross-border trains.

The Justice Committee has backed the general principles of a bill to integrate railway policing north of the border into Police Scotland.

The Scottish government wants the national force to take over the role of the British Transport Police (BTP).

The majority of respondents to the committee opposed the integration, as did four MSPs, including the convener.

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The Justice Committee has backed the general principles of a bill to integrate railway policing north of the border into Police Scotland.

The Scottish government wants the national force to take over the role of the British Transport Police (BTP).

The majority of respondents to the committee opposed the integration, as did four MSPs, including the convener.

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MSPs will now debate the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill , externalat Stage 1, before begin asked to back its general principles at decision time.  

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Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says the results confirm pupils and teachers are paying a heavy price after 10 years of the SNP in government.

Mr McArthur asks what confidence can teachers and parents have that Mr Swinney has got it right now.

Mr Swinney says the guidance has been designed by consensus with professional bodies.

The education secretary says the guidance has been stripped back.

He says today's survey pre-dates all of the measures being taken by the Scottish government and he says the government will continue on its "relentless agenda" to allow teachers to focus on teaching.

Green MSP Ross Greer says there are far fewer staff in schools than there were a decade ago and it is of no comfort to say there is a few more than last year.

Teachers "want their colleagues back," he says. 

Mr Greer asks Mr Swinney what impact the loss of school librarians has had.

Mr Swinney says that he recognises the work and importance of school librarians and libraries.

The education secretary says he is committed to the national framework.

He says it is "a shockingly poor decision" to remove librarians but this is a local authority decision. 

Labour MSP Iain Gray says today's statistics confirm the case against the SNP's 10 year stewardship of education.

Mr Gray says thousands of teachers have been lost and class sizes have grown.

Scottish Labour's education spokesperson calls for more teachers, with more support and more resources.

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Mr Swinney says the government acted immediately when the SSLN reported a decline in education in 2014.

The education secretary says there are more teachers this year than there were last year and points to the £120m allocated to headteachers. 

Mr Swinney asks if Labour are so concerned about a lack of resources, then why did a number of Labour local authorities not increase the council tax.