Committee
Public Petitions Committee, 24 Jun 2008
24 Jun 2008 · S3 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
New Petitions
A82 Upgrade (PE1140)
As the constituency MSP for Lochaber, I congratulate the campaigners on their petition to the Parliament, which I believe has attracted more signatures than any other. That is no surprise to me, because over the nine years that I have been the MSP for Lochaber it has been the most important issue for most people, with the possible exception of the Belford hospital campaign, which was successfully won.I stress what John Farquhar Munro and others have said about the cross-party nature of the campaign. Dave Petrie, the former Conservative MSP, is here today; we are sorry that Jamie McGrigor is unable to be here. Jim Mather supports the campaign in his role as a constituency MSP, and Councillor Brian Murphy, our friend from the Labour Party—possibly the old Labour Party; I am not quite sure—is here. It is good that the petition has cross-party support, because the issue is so important for the west Highlands.My worry is not just that the state of the A82 on north Loch Lomondside is a national disgrace, but that the temporary traffic lights to which John Farquhar Munro alluded have been there for 30 or 40 years. If they are there for much longer, perhaps Historic Scotland will try to have them declared as an ancient monument or an historic building.I will focus on one area that I believe has not yet been covered, rather than revisit other areas: the importance of the A82 as the sole means of access by road to the west Highlands for health services. Those who need to travel from the Belford hospital in Lochaber to Glasgow, Raigmore hospital or the hospital in Oban have to go along the A82. If the road is blocked, as Stewart Maclean has highlighted, what do those people do? In Glasgow, there are—quite rightly—campaigns about the closure of hospitals that are a few miles apart, but we are talking about distances of hundreds of miles.I raise that issue simply because the other issues have all been covered. You know me, convener—I do not like to be repetitious. I ask the petitioners what they have to say about the importance of upgrading the A82 to the health of people who live in the west Highlands and who need to use our excellent hospital services in Scotland's cities.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
Petition PE1140 is by Alasdair Ferguson on behalf of the A82 Partnership. It calls on the Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to begin phased improvem...
John Hutchison (A82 Partnership):
We represent the west Highlands and Islands with a petition that has achieved record support of more than 8,500 signatures in only four weeks—such is the str...
The Convener:
Lab
Thank you.Two elected members whose parliamentary constituencies are served by the A82 are here. I welcome Jackie Baillie—indeed, perhaps she will want to we...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I probably should declare an interest, as I live on the A82. I am aware of the accident rate on that road. When I hear a siren going past my house, I think "...
Alasdair Ferguson (A82 Partnership):
I can answer several of those questions. I confirm that several hauliers from the islands use the A82 as their route going south, particularly if they come t...
John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD):
LD
Good morning, folks. Coming down the road this morning, I left the west coast a bit frustrated as I was trying to push on. I wondered what people are complai...
Alasdair Ferguson:
It is a double-edged sword. Because of the width and the nature of the road, we divert vehicles down the A84 through Callander. There is no consistency in th...
John Farquhar Munro:
LD
That is very true. Someone such as yourself has had a lot of experience of the situation on the A82. If the petition is successful and achieves some financia...
Alasdair Ferguson:
The highest priority area is Loch Lomondside between Tarbet and Inveruglas, up to Pulpit Rock.
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
I come from Aberdeen, so you will appreciate that I do not drive on the A82 very often, although when family go skiing at Aonach Mòr, I am always relieved wh...
John Hutchison:
If you are not familiar with the road, you will enjoy the DVD.The route action plan that has been produced identified £90 million of work, and it is a start....
Nanette Milne:
Con
Have you been able to meet the minister to put across your concerns? I know that your campaign has been very active, and I wondered whether that was part of it.
John Hutchison:
That is part of our campaign. We have been trying to meet the minister for a couple of months now. I am pleased to say that I had a call this morning offerin...
The Convener:
Lab
I observe that a petition concentrates the mind. You got a call on the morning of your presentation on your petition. Well done to the minister and his staff...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab):
Lab
Timing is indeed a wonderful thing.I welcome the Public Petitions Committee to Dumbarton and hope that you will all return. I register my strong support for ...
Stewart Maclean (A82 Partnership):
You will note that an 84-page economic report is attached to the petition. I am sure that you have all studied it in great detail, but for those of you who h...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
As the constituency MSP for Lochaber, I congratulate the campaigners on their petition to the Parliament, which I believe has attracted more signatures than ...
John Hutchison:
It is interesting to note that the Scottish Ambulance Service has been an enthusiastic provider of data to us. It generally considers itself to be signed up ...
Alasdair Ferguson:
The note was about the Scottish Ambulance Service. I simply point out that if the road gets blocked for any reason—say, by a serious accident—anywhere betwee...
The Convener:
Lab
I am aware that we have a very full agenda. Your purpose in speaking to the petition is obviously to amplify wider demands for investment, but the committee ...
Jackie Baillie:
Lab
Far be it from me to suggest what committee members should do—I am sure that their comments will supplement what we already have—but, given the evidence that...
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
It is important that we write to the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland in the terms that Jackie Baillie has outlined. However, I wonder whether we s...
The Convener:
Lab
Other than that, not many people, then.
Rhoda Grant:
Lab
There could be a few more.
Nanette Milne:
Con
What about the organisation that maintains the roads in wintertime?
The Convener:
Lab
Okay—TranServ as well. We now have a range of agencies and organisations to contact.From their experience of running the campaign, the petitioners will know ...
Stewart Maclean:
I know that time is of the essence, but please take the opportunity to watch the DVD. It really is worth while—even if only to hear Runrig singing "Loch Lomo...
John Farquhar Munro:
LD
The point has been forcefully made that, even with the capital that has been allocated, things are moving a bit too slowly. In our correspondence with organi...
The Convener:
Lab
To hurry them up, we will threaten them with a full Runrig album. I will say that before Donnie Munro gets a haud o me.I hope that today's meeting has been u...
John Hutchison:
Thank you for hearing us today. We know that you were not obliged to invite us to be present, but we thank you for doing so. Around 8,500 people are watching...