Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing) SNP

The next item of business is a statement by Màiri McAllan on the A9 dualling programme. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her statement...

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition (Màiri McAllan) SNP

Following the Deputy First Minister’s budget statement yesterday, I am pleased to have the chance to provide more detail on completing the dualling of the A9...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues that were raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes, after which time we will ...

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

I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement, although we have been waiting for the update since February and here we are, on the second-...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I begin by acknowledging Murdo Fraser’s point about there having been a delay in my update. I had hoped to give this update some weeks ago, and I am always s...

Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

The SNP first committed to dual the A9 back in 2007. Today, 16 years on and excuse after excuse after excuse later, the cabinet secretary expects us to be ha...

Màiri McAllan SNP

This Government has a proud history of delivering major projects. Interruption. There is a plethora of major projects, and I have absolute confidence—but, at...

John Swinney (Perthshire North) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the reaffirmation of the Government’s commitment to dual the A9, which builds on the successful completion of a range of capital projects—including...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I thank Mr Swinney for eloquently reeling off the plethora of major projects that the Government can be proud of having delivered. On the point about his l...

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

Time and again, SNP ministers came to the chamber, appeared in front of committees or pledged in public that the A9 would be dualled in full between Invernes...

Màiri McAllan SNP

Presiding Officer, I am not sure that that was parliamentary language, but that is entirely your decision to adjudicate on.

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

Cabinet secretary, please resume your seat. I heard what the member said and I noted carefully the way in which he phrased it. It is, of course, absolutely u...

Màiri McAllan SNP

As I said, it is for you to adjudicate on. The member’s question centred on the inquiry that the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee is un...

Audrey Nicoll (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP) SNP

Will the cabinet secretary say a bit more about the mutual investment model that she referred to in her statement? What does it entail and what are its advan...

Màiri McAllan SNP

Yes, I am happy to say more about it. As I said in my statement, the mutual investment model is one that has been developed and used by the Welsh Government....

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Lab

The announcement that one section will be dualled in the next four years is not going to pacify my constituents’ anger about the lack of progress. The Govern...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I hope that the member was listening to my response to Jamie Halcro Johnston, when I made it absolutely clear that it was not until 2022 that Transport Scotl...

Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP) SNP

On the way to the chamber this afternoon, and quite by chance, I bumped into an Invernessian who reminded me that he had lost friends on the A9. That was a s...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I thank Fergus Ewing for his question and for his determined campaigning on the matter since I have been in post and long before that. He mentioned in his op...

Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD) LD

Yesterday, we heard of another serious crash on the A9 near Invergordon, and my thoughts are with those who were taken to Aberdeen royal infirmary after the ...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I echo to Beatrice Wishart what I said to Fergus Ewing and a number of others—I reassure her, in the first instance, that the certainty of delivery that she ...

Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP) SNP

I declare an interest in that I spend about 10 hours every week on the A9. The cabinet secretary may recall that, just a matter of weeks ago, the Tories said...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I understand entirely the sentiments that Kate Forbes expresses. My clear objective today is to set out that this is a new optimal delivery plan and that it ...

Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

In the dark days of winter, we now get the promised autumn statement on the A9—I suppose that it is better late than never, considering the time that we have...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I again point out to Edward Mountain the irony that, while his party was compiling what it calls research—and what I would call a little ridiculous—and press...

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

The cabinet secretary rightly highlighted safety on the A9 as the overriding priority. The Green group is behind the appropriate action that is needed to cut...

Màiri McAllan SNP

I am grateful to Mark Ruskell for highlighting that, as far as the Government is concerned, the principal driver of the work is improving safety. As I mentio...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

That concludes the statement. I apologise to the few members whom I was unable to call.