Minister defends MSP colleague after Transport Scotland blunder

Energy Minister Stephen Gethins has defended his MSP colleague Collette Stevenson after she asked whether the government body Transport Scotland was a registered charity.

Stevenson, who has been the SNP MSP for East Kilbride since 2021 and is a transport committee member, made the blunder during Wednesday morning's committee meeting.

Transport Scotland director Graeme Cook had to explain government agency operations to her before the meeting drew to a close.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, Gethins stood up for Stevenson's character, describing her as "a really good colleague and fantastic local advocate" but said it would be unfair for him to comment on her committee question as he was not at the meeting.

After about two hours of evidence on Scotland's rail services, Stevenson interrupted the meeting to ask: "I take it Transport Scotland is a registered charity?"

"Transport Scotland is a non-departmental government body," Graeme Cook, director of rail delivery for Transport Scotland, responded.

"Transport Scotland is an agency so all of the Transport Scotland staff are already part of the civil service.

"Transport Scotland is the same legal entity as the Scottish government."

BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast presenter Martin Geissler asked the energy minister if it was reasonable to expect someone who sits on the transport committee to know how Transport Scotland works.

"It is, but I do not want to prejudge something I have not seen and when I was not actually sitting on the committee," Gethins answered.

Stevenson sits on the equality, human rights and civil justice committee as well as the transport committee, and is a substitute member of the delegated powers and law reform committee.

She has previously asked questions during committee meetings about the Clyde Metro development - a key recommendation from Transport Scotland's strategic transport review.

Gethins, who served as an MP from 2024-2026, said he was worked with "some great colleagues" across the political spectrum, including Stevenson, and they were all committed to what they do.

"At Westminster, where they get paid a whole lot more than they do in the Scottish parliament, they could sometimes do with upping their game and that's something I saw daily," he said.

"But Collette is a great colleague and I wasn't sitting on the committee."

He added: "You might expect politicians to talk about something they have not seen when they were not in the room or involved in it, but I am not one of them".

Stevenson's blunder is the latest during a Scottish Parliament transport committee meeting after Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn said he was unaware that a faulty valve on a CalMac ferry led to a sudden and uncontrolled release of highly flammable methane gas last summer.

He told committee convenor Willie Rennie: "The specific news story to which you are referring is one I would have to go and familiarise myself with.

"I wasn't listening or watching the BBC this morning, convenor.... I didn't see the news because I was Facetiming my kids - but that is a different matter."

Flynn later clarified his predecessor was briefed about the gas leak after it happened and the issue was resolved "almost immediately".