Veteran SNP member says failing to bring forward A96 timetable "a red line" for him
Fergus Ewing criticised the Transport Secretary earlier
Last updated 17th Dec 2024
Former minister Fergus Ewing has said residents in the Highlands and north east must "know the truth" about when the A96 will be fully dualled.
The SNP MSP for Inverness and Nairn told the Transport Secretary his constituents will be "deeply depressed" about the lack of a timetable for the project.
Fiona Hyslop confirmed last month that the Scottish Government's pledge to dual the road from Inverness to Aberdeen by 2030 - made more than a decade ago - will not be met.
The minister did not say when the project would be completed.
Tory Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross at the time claimed the Government had abandoned its pledge to dual the road after the A96 corridor review included other, cheaper options than the full dualling of the road.
Ms Hyslop has said she remains committed to dualling the road.
The move follows the delay of a similar project to dual the A9 between Inverness and Perth, which has been pushed back by a decade.
During a topical question in Holyrood on Tuesday, Mr Ewing urged Ms Hyslop to bring forward a timetable on when each part of the A96 will be completed.
The Transport Secretary said a timetable could only be set out once a design for the road is agreed, procurement is under way and an investment model is approved.
"It is a complex exercise," she told MSPs. "It looks at a number of factors, including how the project can be delivered most efficiently by industry whilst minimising disruption to road users."
She vowed to return to Parliament to update MSPs on a timetable when she is able to, and said Mr Ewing's suggestion of bringing forward a timetable within three months "does not allow us to provide an orderly, considered position that Parliament might expect".
Mr Ewing told her: "I'm afraid, Cabinet Secretary, my constituents will be deeply depressed by the failure for you today, and I know you take this very seriously, which makes it even more serious to give the people of Nairn and the north east the truth.
"Can we not have that please? And if we don't have it then I for one will find it unacceptable, and it is a red line for me.
"I cannot betray my constituents, Presiding Officer.
"That's what my party and the Government I used to be part of is demanding that I do - I'm not prepared to do it."
Ms Hyslop said progress had been made on the A96, including the buying of land and the completion of made orders allowing construction to begin.