The Inverness Courier’s ‘excellent’ SNP debate prompts A9/A96 dualling questions in Holyrood
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The Inverness Courier has again been raised in the Scottish Parliament over dualling after MSP Fergus Ewing asked First Minister Humza Yousaf to make good on promises made during the SNP leadership election.
First Minister Humza Yousaf was setting out his government's plans for the next three years in what is his first major policy address since becoming SNP and Scottish leader.
Mr Ewing started by saying that at the event “hosted by the excellent Inverness Courier and Highland News and Media group” Mr Yousaf was asked about the dualling programme and promised to deliver.
The veteran Inverness and Nairn MSP said his promises to complete the programmes were “welcome because they were entirely unequivocal – ‘this will happen’ and First Minister you said, and I very much welcome it: ‘the capital will be found.’”
Mr Yousaf also said the event was an “excellent leadership hustings by the excellent Inverness Courier” and vowed to consider expediting any update so that it may be delivered before the summer recess which starts on July 1.
He said the hope is that after having already talked to Transport Scotland that the Tomatin to Moy section would be awarded a contract this year after it was previously considered too expensive.
The First Minister said he would look to make sure that the A96 would be done, saying: “We do remain committed to not just improving the A96 but importantly, of course, dualling it including the Inverness to Nairn bypass with the view to completing the statutory process as soon as we possibly can.”
What they said in full
Fergus Ewing
“At the SNP leadership hustings hosted by the excellent Inverness Courier and Highland News and Media group, the First Minister was asked whether he supported the dualling of the A9 from Perth to Inverness in total and the dualling of the A96 from Inverness to Auldearn from Inverness, including the Nairn bypass.
“The First Minister gave very welcome commitments, welcome because they were entirely unequivocal, this will happen and First Minister you said, and I very much welcome it: ‘the capital will be found.’
“Can I ask when this excellent news will be the subject of a detailed ministerial statement and given we've been trading water for two years. Will this be before the summer recess.”
First Minister Humza Yousaf
“I thank Fergus Ewing, I spotted him, of course, during that excellent leadership hustings by the excellent Inverness Courier.
“Just to give him an absolute assurance we remain of course committed to the dualling of the A9, that commitment remains absolute. We've invested over £430 million that has been spent to date and I can understand completely the disappointment around the Tomatin to Moy section.
“And we are targeting a contract award before the end of 2023. If that can be brought forward and I have engaged already with Transport Scotland to see if that can be brought forward in any way, shape, or form.
“But I know Fergus Ewing understands that our obligations to public finance and spending and we will provide in terms of the remaining sections an updated timescale
“I heard Fergus Ewing say can we bring that forward to before the summer recess so I'll take that away for consideration.
“And we do remain committed to not just improving the A96 but importantly, of course, dualling it including the Inverness to Nairn bypass with the view to completing the statutory process as soon as we possibly can.”
