Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing) SNP

I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place. Face coverings should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus...

Graham Simpson (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

Tom Arthur is a likeable chap. As a back bencher, he was affable and straight talking. However, during questions on the draft national planning framework las...

The Minister for Transport (Graeme Dey) SNP

Carry on.

Graham Simpson Con

“Carry on”, he says.

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Could we have less chat between one member who is seated and one who is standing? If no intervention is taken, there is no intervention.

Graham Simpson Con

The minister does not wish to intervene, and the reason is that, although the SNP might agree with us that those roads and others need to be upgraded, they h...

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Green

Speaking as a rural motorist, I find that the real cost to me is the cost of fixing my suspension or something else in my car after I have run over loads of ...

Graham Simpson Con

Investing in roads is what this is all about, and if we invested more in roads, Mr Ruskell would not have his car broken by potholes. The SNP might have bee...

The Minister for Transport (Graeme Dey) SNP

Graham Simpson’s speech was amusing and entertaining, but let us deal in facts. Just last week, Glasgow hosted the 26th United Nations climate change confere...

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

At the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s meeting on 31 August, when I asked the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy about the Governmen...

Graeme Dey SNP

I will come to those projects later in my contribution. The Scottish Government is fully committed to meeting our ambitious climate targets, but that does n...

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

Will the minister take an intervention?

Graeme Dey SNP

No—I need to make progress. The Scottish Government is also committed to delivering improvements for the north and the east of Scotland, along the A96 corri...

Graeme Dey SNP

Alongside that, we will carry out a transparent evidence-based review of the A96 corridor, which will report by the end of 2022. That is sensible good govern...

Liam Kerr Con

The minister’s party promised to dual the A96. Will he?

Graeme Dey SNP

The situation is very clear. The commitment remains to address those issues, and the dualling aspect is subject to the review. We remain committed to making...

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Con

Will the minister take an intervention?

Graeme Dey SNP

I want to make progress. STPR2 will include recommendations for future investment in the Scottish road network over the next 20 years. Although the commitme...

Finlay Carson Con

Will the minister take an intervention?

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

The minister is in his final minute.

Graeme Dey SNP

May I take that intervention, Presiding Officer?

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

If it is very brief and you wind up in your allotted time.

Finlay Carson Con

Does the minister agree that the Scottish Government needs to put aside its petty and divisive position and work with the UK Government, particularly if the ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

That was not a brief intervention. I think that the minister has the gist. The minister should be brief.

Graeme Dey SNP

The UK Government needs to show some respect for the devolution settlement. We will, of course, also continue to progress our maintenance programme to ensur...

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab

Scottish Labour believes that key routes in Scotland must be upgraded to improve road safety, reduce journey times and support local and regional economies. ...

Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD

I want to make three points on the importance of core connectivity between communities and the rest of Scotland; the safety of our roads and the need to main...

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Green

I recognise the safety issues on the A9. Why, then, did Liberal Democrat MPs oppose the introduction of safety cameras on the A9?

Beatrice Wishart LD

Repairs and other improvements fall in line with the recommendations of the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland, which suggested that greater emphasis be ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We move to the open debate. I advise members that there is no time in hand. If you take an intervention, it must be absorbed within your allotted time. 15:46