Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 28 November 2024
28 Nov 2024 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
A96 Corridor Review
I warmly welcome the statement and the review. It is evidence based, particularly on the issue of road safety, and it has had the input of communities as well. However, it is quite clear from the conclusions of the review that spending upwards of £5,000 million on full dualling of the A96 would be a waste of money, and that the preferred package that has been put forward—of bypasses at Elgin and Keith, road safety improvements and investment in rail and public transport, which are all deliverable for one fifth of the cost of full dualling—is the right way forward.
When will the Scottish Government be able to accelerate the investment in that preferred package, and so deliver for communities and deliver the road safety improvements that are needed to save lives?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by Fiona Hyslop on the publication of the A96 corridor review. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport (Fiona Hyslop)
SNP
I begin my statement by expressing my sincerest sympathies to the families of anyone who has been killed or injured on our roads. In particular, my thoughts ...
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am sorry—I would not normally do this—but can you say whether it is in order for the Cabinet Secretary for Transpor...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
That is not, strictly speaking, a point of order. The cabinet secretary is in the middle of making her statement. After she—
Douglas Ross
Con
She is not telling the truth.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Mr Ross, I ask you to withdraw that remark.
Douglas Ross
Con
I will do so, simply because I want to ask a question later.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Lovely—thank you. We will stop there. Please resume, cabinet secretary. We can listen to the cabinet secretary, and then members will have the opportunity t...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
The A96 corridor review has been undertaken in accordance with the Scottish transport appraisal guidance, which is the best practice and objective-led approa...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Please resume your seat, cabinet secretary. I will not have a running commentary. I made it clear at the beginning that the statement would be made without ...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
It is important that we gather the public’s views before making a final decision on the programme so, today, we are launching a 12-week consultation on the o...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for that, after which we will move t...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. I also pay tribute to the hundreds of people who have been injured and have lost their live...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
I should point out that, with the agreement of Parliament and the Presiding Officer, we were able to provide a response to a Government-initiated question ea...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement, and I associate myself and my party with the remarks regarding the loss of life on the A96,...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
The member asks whether I am satisfied. Of course I am not satisfied, but I am also not satisfied with the impact of successive capital restrictions on our b...
Emma Roddick (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the recommitment from the cabinet secretary today to the full dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen. It is a vital project for many re...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
There are a number of elements, particularly around the A96 from Inverness to Nairn and the Nairn bypass. I am acutely aware of the request from the people o...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
One hundred and twenty-eight people have been killed or injured on this killer road since 2021. The report acknowledges that the full dualling, which was pro...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
That question does not do credit to Mr Kerr, who I know takes these issues very seriously. He has obviously looked at the summary report, and that is why I t...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
SNP
The statement has been met with white fury from my constituents, including long-standing SNP members, who are aware that the pledge is three decades old. Do...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
In terms of the report, I made it clear that I had an obligation to carry through the request of other MSPs of all parties to publish what was commissioned a...
Jackie Dunbar (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
I am not sure whether Opposition members have short memories or selective amnesia. The SNP has reconnected Kintore and Laurencekirk to the railway. The Aberd...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
Jackie Dunbar makes an important point about the investment that this party in government has made and delivered on in relation to the north and north-east o...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Ms Grant joins us remotely.
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
Inverness is the only city in Scotland not to be joined to the rest of Scotland by dual carriageway, and that is unacceptable. The cabinet secretary knows th...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
On the decisions around what happens with Inverness and Nairn, I was keen to ensure that we completed the statutory requirements for not only Inverness to Na...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
I warmly welcome the statement and the review. It is evidence based, particularly on the issue of road safety, and it has had the input of communities as wel...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
I understand that Mark Ruskell welcomes the review. It was a part of the Bute house agreement that was requested by the Green Party, and that has now been de...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Beatrice Wishart is joining us remotely.