Meeting of the Parliament 05 June 2024
I thank Graham Simpson for securing the debate. I was disappointed when reading the SNP amendment, which says that the Government is perfect and has everything under control. From the evidence taken on the A9 dualling project by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, whose meetings I have had the privilege of attending, it is clear that that is not the case.
In fact, it was clear that Alex Salmond was committed to dualling the roads between our key cities, but that commitment seemed to drop by the wayside when a member of his Cabinet—who, at some stages, did not even recognise that she was in the same Cabinet as him—became First Minister. In 2017, it became clear to the then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, that the A9 dualling could not be delivered by 2025. The honest thing to do would have been to come forward and tell the people of the Highlands that, but that is not what happened. Disingenuous and dishonest statements were made that the Government was continuing to push forward, but the project was never going to be completed by then—it was not possible.
I do not want to steal Murdo Fraser’s thunder on the A9, because I know that he will want to speak long and hard about it, but I would say that the people of the Highlands were hornswoggled by this Government. It is a great description, and it is a good word because it covers a lot of the words that I could not possibly use in the chamber.
The A96 was supposed to be dualled in 2011—the infrastructure plan said that that would happen. In 2016, updated plans were put forward, which I remember going out to consultation when I was first elected. We were all excited that, finally, the A96 was going to be dualled. Then, in 2017, all the ground surveys had been completed. There was nothing in the way. Those ground surveys cost more than £1 million a mile just from Inverness to Nairn—a huge amount of money. It was all going to happen and, in 2018, when the local inquiry met and we got the results of that, we thought that we were there—home and dry.
However, we are not home and dry—the A96 is not going to be dualled. In fact, only a short section is going to be dualled—the Nairn bypass. What disappoints me is that, when the cabinet secretary turned up at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee yesterday and was pressed on whether she would meet the deadline of 2030, she was unable to say that she would. I think that she was even unable to say that when she went to Nairn on Saturday, where I hear that the reception was less than favourable. She tells us that the made road orders are made, but nothing is actually happening.
I see Mr Ewing rising to his feet. It is always a pleasure to welcome him to speak favourably in one of our debates.