 Good morning, and welcome to the 15th meeting of the NetZera Energy and Transport Committee for 2023. The first item on the agenda is consideration of whether to take item 5 in private. Item 5 is the consideration of a draft report on the committee's inquiry into a modern and sustainable ferry service for Scotland. Do we agree to take this item in private? Ag deeply agreed. We are agreed. Mae'r cwmpwysau o'r byw fy modd i'r cymdeithasig yma yn cyflawn i'r gweithio mwyaf. Felly, mae'r byw yn gallu i ddweud yr hynny? Mae'r byw yn gallu i ddweud. Mae'n ddysgu i ddod o'r cwmpwysau o'r byw fy modd i'r cyflawn i'r gweithio ddweud, mae'n cyflawn i'r ddweud yma. Mae'r ddweud o gweithio gweithio gyflawn i Gwmpwysau Gwmpwysau o'r gweithio gweithio gweithio 2023. I'm pleased to welcome Kevin Stewart, the Minister for Transport. Thank you for joining us today and welcome to the committee in your new role. Also welcome Natalie Barton, the Solicitor for Transport Scotland, and George Peele Pratt, the Smart Policy Manager for Transport Scotland. The instrument is laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before it comes into force. Following the evidence session, the committee will be invited at the next agenda item to consider a motion to approve the instrument. I remind everyone that officials can speak under this item, but not under the debate that follows. Minister, I believe that you would like to make a short opening statement. Thank you very much, convener, and good morning committee. Thanks for inviting me to discuss the addition of the new National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board, or NSTAB for short, to the Gender Representation on Public Board Scotland Act 2018, the 2018 act. NSTAB is a product of the Transport Scotland Act 2019 and will advise the Scottish ministers on topics including smart ticketing arrangements, a national technological standard for smart ticketing, and the strategic development of smart ticketing in Scotland. Adding NSTAB to the 2018 act is intended to help address the historic and persistent underrepresentation of women in public life and in the transport sector. The 2018 act sets a gender representation objective for listed public authorities, which is that 50 per cent of non-executive members are women. The act imposes duty on listed public authorities and those making appointments related to the achievement of the gender representation objective. Regarding gender balance in the transport sector, the 2011 Scottish Census found that women accounted for just 24 per cent of all people employed in the transport and communications industry. Similarly, in 2021, the annual population survey found that women only accounted for 19.8 per cent of people employed in the transport and storage industry in Scotland. As such, women in transport, such-trans and the United Nations Economic Commission have all called for greater representation of women in transport planning and delivery. As a new public body formed by the Scottish Government, NSTAB should lead the way in improving gender representation in the transport industry, helping to make policy more inclusive and representative of the population of Scotland. NSTAB should be a role model for the industry, encouraging more women to be part of the future of transport. Regarding the gender balance of public appointments in Scotland, data from the ethical standards commissioners showed that between 2005 and 2021, the percentage of women on public boards in Scotland increased from 35 per cent to around 51 per cent. Although that shows significant improvements have been made, the momentum needs to be maintained, which can be supported by adding NSTAB to the 2018 act. Finally, the financial impact of adding NSTAB to the 2018 act is expected to be minimal, primarily relating to outreach work to encourage women to apply for positions. Thank you very much for your time today. I look forward to the committee's questions. Thank you very much, Minister. Looking around the table at committee members, are there any questions that anyone would like to ask? Yes. Yes, I think that's a tongue. Thank you, convener, and can I welcome the minister and his new role and welcome him to the committee today? I would just like to ask, minister, if remuneration or pay is offered to board members. We will look at remuneration as we move forward for these roles, convener, and we will update the committee accordingly. I'm just looking around. I think one of the things within this is that people are entitled to claim expenses for their trips. I'm wondering as this May is trying to encourage women, whether there will be additional payments to assist them with childcare if that's falling to them to undertake. Again, convener, we will look at all of that. In my previous roles as a minister, we have looked to see what we can do to help those who have caring responsibilities, whether there will be women or men in that regard. I think that it is important that we are as inclusive as possible in attracting the right folk to fill those roles, and the same goes for this board, as for all of the others that I have dealt with, convener. Thank you very much, minister. I think that it would be useful to have that feedback when you're in a position to know that, the aim of this and the aim of the committee is to encourage people to attend, and we don't want to see hurdles in their way. Absolutely, convener, and I'm more than willing to share that information as we move forward with the committee. Liam, you have a question. Thanks, convener. Minister, if you don't mind, I might just press you on this question that Jackie Dunbar has asked, because part of what we're looking at today is the establishment of an advisory board. The purpose of that advisory board is to establish that board. Regulation 5 of the instrument provides that Scottish ministers may pay members of the board remuneration. I think that what I'm hearing from your answer to Jackie Dunbar is that the amount of... whether or not remuneration will be paid and the amount of that hasn't actually been considered prior to bringing forward an instrument that sets off a board. Is that right? This is not unusual, convener, at all, and as Mr Kerr points out, section 5 sets out how the Government will look to deal with this, which includes that Scottish ministers may pay members of the board such remuneration as the Scottish ministers may determine to be appropriate. As you pointed out, convener, in terms of other issues, section 5-3 says that ministers must pay or reimburse members of the board any expenses that have been reasonably incurred by them in connection with the board's functions, which, as I've said, we will look to ensure that that includes those who have caring responsibilities. That is not unusual in terms of these instruments, convener. Thank you, minister. There doesn't appear to be any further questions, so we'll move on to agenda item 3, which is the formal consideration of motion S6M-08262, calling on the committee to recommend the approval of the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board, gender representation on public board Scotland regulations 2023. Minister, can I ask you to speak and to move the motion? Very briefly, convener. I move the motion to recommend the draft regulations be approved. Thank you, minister. Are there any other contributions from members of the committee? No. On that basis, minister, I'm technically advised that you may wish to sum up and respond to the debate, but I fear you may not want to add anything at this stage. I think I'll forego that privilege. Thank you, convener. Thank you very much, minister. The question is that motion S6M-08262 lodged on the 16th of March in the name of Jenny Gilruth be approved. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The committee will report on the outcomes of this instrument in due course, and I invite the committee to delegate authority to me as convener to finalise the report for publication. Are you happy to do that? Thank you, minister, and your officials. We'll now move directly on to our next agenda item. You are obviously welcome to leave as we continue. The next agenda item is agenda item 4. We have consideration of a negative instrument, the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board, Scotland Regulations 2023. This instrument is laid under the negative procedure, which means that its provisions will come into force unless the Parliament agrees to a motion to annul them. No motions to annul have been laid. Do any members have any comments on this instrument? Nope. Therefore, I invite the committee to agree that it does not wish to make any further recommendations in relation to this instrument. Are we agreed? We are agreed. Thank you all. That concludes our public meeting and we will now move into private session.