Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2024
That is an important point. There is a general duty to co-ordinate road works, as set out in section 118 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. Under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, the Scottish road works commissioner has been given more powers to issue a compliance notice if they think that there is a breach of that general duty.
However—and I say this to be constructive for the Government, as the issue is UK-wide, particularly because many utility companies are regulated by reserved legislation—until we get on top of the co-ordination issue, we will really struggle and will always be patching our roads. We want to get to a position where, as in other countries, utility companies that want to do works must do those together and where there is a duty on them to relay the whole road, so that its integrity is maintained.
Lastly, and luckily—and I will send this information to the minister, in case it is helpful—Scotland has a software company called ProceMX, which manages the co-ordination of utility works in New York City. This summer, I met the chief executive officer—I think that is the correct title—Iain Ritchie. That company already has the software, but we need politics, leadership, permits and penalties, because utility companies do not want to co-ordinate as that is inconvenient for them. If we can pull together some engagement with that Scottish company and some collective determination, perhaps we can get to a better position with fewer potholes to repair in future.
13:46