Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 22 May 2013
22 May 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Haudagain Roundabout
I have talked a lot in the Parliament recently about common sense—“gumption” is the word that we use in the north-east. Today, we see mair gimmick than gumption in the motion that the Labour Party has lodged. We should not be surprised, because on transport policy Labour never seems to listen to the experts—the roads engineers, who know how things work. I would bet members a pound to a penny that Mr Baker has come to the chamber without looking at any of the modelling work that has been done on traffic in the great city of Aberdeen.
Today we heard Labour backtracking on its opposition over many years to a third Don crossing. When Willie Young was asked about the issue some time ago by the Evening Express, he said:
“We have been made aware by our officials that the Haudagain roundabout and Third Don Crossing comes as a package at the moment. That may be the situation and we may have to go along with that.”
However, there has always been talk of daft alternatives, including from the current depute leader of the Labour-led Aberdeen City Council. She wants tunnels everywhere. How much will tunnels cost and how long will it take to get them into action? Does she know about the geology of the great city in which I live? I think not. Again, it is gimmick, not gumption.
That is what we have had all along. The debate is a knockabout one in some regards, and I am sad to see that everybody has put in their wee bit about the by-election. Were Brian Adam here, he would not be happy about some of the things that have been said.
Let us put all the knockabout to one side and look at the realities. My main concern is the realities that people face. At the end of the day, the Labour Party wants immediate action, but what will it do with the 200 households in Middlefield that will need to be rehoused? What will it do about the traffic disruption that will ensue should that immediate action take place? The traffic disruption would be massive.
Lewis Macdonald sits there and sneers. Apparently, he said on the radio this morning that building work at the Haudagain would cause no traffic disruption. I had a phone call from a constituent not so long ago who asked me to tell Mr Macdonald that that was chronic stupidity. I agree.
What about the vital services in Middlefield, such as the Middlefield Community Project and the Middlefield healthy hoose? What will happen to those services if immediate action is taken? The Labour motion is nonsense. It would see traffic disruption galore, the decimation of the north-east economy and the destruction of people’s lives. I urge everyone in the chamber to look carefully at how they vote today.
15:06
Today we heard Labour backtracking on its opposition over many years to a third Don crossing. When Willie Young was asked about the issue some time ago by the Evening Express, he said:
“We have been made aware by our officials that the Haudagain roundabout and Third Don Crossing comes as a package at the moment. That may be the situation and we may have to go along with that.”
However, there has always been talk of daft alternatives, including from the current depute leader of the Labour-led Aberdeen City Council. She wants tunnels everywhere. How much will tunnels cost and how long will it take to get them into action? Does she know about the geology of the great city in which I live? I think not. Again, it is gimmick, not gumption.
That is what we have had all along. The debate is a knockabout one in some regards, and I am sad to see that everybody has put in their wee bit about the by-election. Were Brian Adam here, he would not be happy about some of the things that have been said.
Let us put all the knockabout to one side and look at the realities. My main concern is the realities that people face. At the end of the day, the Labour Party wants immediate action, but what will it do with the 200 households in Middlefield that will need to be rehoused? What will it do about the traffic disruption that will ensue should that immediate action take place? The traffic disruption would be massive.
Lewis Macdonald sits there and sneers. Apparently, he said on the radio this morning that building work at the Haudagain would cause no traffic disruption. I had a phone call from a constituent not so long ago who asked me to tell Mr Macdonald that that was chronic stupidity. I agree.
What about the vital services in Middlefield, such as the Middlefield Community Project and the Middlefield healthy hoose? What will happen to those services if immediate action is taken? The Labour motion is nonsense. It would see traffic disruption galore, the decimation of the north-east economy and the destruction of people’s lives. I urge everyone in the chamber to look carefully at how they vote today.
15:06
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06657, in the name of Richard Baker, on immediate action at the Haudagain roundabout.14:40
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased that we have been able to bring forward in Labour business the issue of tackling congestion at the Haudagain roundabout, because it is a vital t...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the member very much for taking an intervention on that point. Does he accept that the Aberdeen western peripheral route is of great significance to ...
Richard Baker
Lab
Of course; I am happy to accept that point. We all agree on the importance of the AWPR but, through today’s debate, we want to move the Haudagain roundabout ...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
What will happen to traffic to the airport if Mr Baker’s request for immediate action is granted? If the Haudagain is redone, we will have chaos on the roads...
Richard Baker
Lab
That is both a poor excuse and a gross misrepresentation of the issue. I will specifically address the ludicrous press release that Mr Stewart issued yesterd...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Will the member give way?
Richard Baker
Lab
I am sure that Mr Stewart will want to speak later, so he will have his chance then.Despite the Scottish Government’s verbal assurances that it will pay for ...
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
I have been listening carefully to Mr Baker. Will he confirm whether Labour is committed to the construction of a third Don crossing any time in the near fut...
Richard Baker
Lab
The member is aware that Aberdeen City Council proposes a third Don crossing. As I have said, the council stands ready to move forward with this work now and...
The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
The Scottish Government recognises, of course, the important contribution that Aberdeen and the north-east make to our wider economy and that an effective tr...
Richard Baker
Lab
So when Alex Neil and John Swinney specifically called for immediate action more than five years ago, they were wrong.
Keith Brown
SNP
Perhaps Richard Baker has forgotten that there has been a protracted legal challenge on the AWPR. Nestrans and the council that he has lauded have said a num...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
No. I want to make some progress.The funding of the regeneration proposal for the Middlefield area is a matter for Aberdeen City Council, but Transport Scotl...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
I will do so in just a second.The forthcoming by-election and Labour’s need for a fig leaf to hide every major construction project that it has delayed expla...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
I am grateful to the minister for giving way, even if he has done so when I was not seeking to intervene.Will the minister confirm that the STAG report actua...
Keith Brown
SNP
I think that I have just said what is being done. We have employed design consultants to work on the design at this early stage in order that we can be ready...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
It is wonderful what a by-election will do to focus Parliament on issues that are important to the people of Aberdeen, and the Aberdeen Donside by-election i...
Keith Brown
SNP
Will the member give way?
Alex Johnstone
Con
The commitment that I need from the minister today—I will give way if he is willing to give it—is that he will take action so that the Haudagain roundabout p...
Keith Brown
SNP
If the member had listened to what I said, he would have heard me say that we have started on the design work, which is the necessary first step. Over and ab...
Alex Johnstone
Con
The minister’s intervention takes us into an area that I need to talk about, which is the time that projects take.The minister went through a list of project...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We are tight for time, so members must stick to four-minute speeches.15:02
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
I have talked a lot in the Parliament recently about common sense—“gumption” is the word that we use in the north-east. Today, we see mair gimmick than gumpt...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Although Kevin Stewart offered to move on from the knockabout, he went on to produce one of the most comical speeches that I have heard. He asked a number of...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
No.
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
The Haudagain is part of the trunk road network and therefore the Scottish Government’s responsibility.I heard a little heckling from a sedentary position. I...
Bruce Crawford
SNP
Will work at the Haudagain roundabout cause extra congestion around the city?