MSP Rhoda Grant accuses Transport Minister of 'gross betrayal' over A9 dualling delay
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The furious reaction to the Scottish Government's failure to complete the dualling of the A9 by 2025 started seconds after the Transport Secretary's statement yesterday.
Highland Labour MSP Rhoda Grant tore into Jenny Gilruth stating that not making the 2025 deadline was a 'gross betrayal' and called on her to apologise to the people of the Highlands.
Mrs Grant entirely blamed the Scottish Government for not awarding contracts in time to allow the massive project to proceed.
Ms Gilruth blamed the war in Ukraine, inflation, the pandemic and Brexit for the delays but the veteran Labour MSP was having none of it.
She said: "This is a total betrayal of the Highlands, a broken promise, which I wonder if the government ever intended to keep. The scale of the project is exactly the same as it was 16 years ago.
"Sadly almost exactly the same, given the lack of progress and lives are being lost on this dangerous road.
"This is an issue of her own governments making. Have they even attempted to adhere to their own time scales, then contracts would have been awarded by now.
"And it's also shameful that on the day that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is addressing the UK Parliament SNP ministers are trying to blame the war in Ukraine for their failure to deliver a manifesto pledge from 2007.
"Can I ask the minister now to come clean on the estimated time skill of dualling the A9 to Inverness?
"And if she can't answer that, can she at least give an indication of when the route between Inverness and Dalwhinnie and between Perth and Ballinluig will be fully dualled and will she now apologise to the people of the Highlands for this gross betrayal?"
None of those questions were answered, however, Ms Gilruth did say: “Transport Scotland is urgently considering a range of different options to provide ministers advice on the most efficient way in which to dual the remaining sections.
"That consideration will include updating the evaluation of options involving the use of design and build contracts, to reflect changes to contractual terms and conditions developed from engagement with the construction industry.
"I expect to have that advice by Autumn 2023 at which time I will update parliament to put forward a renewed timescale for completion.
“Our investment of over £430 million to date means much has already been achieved and while much is still to be done, this Government is absolutely committed to completing the A9 dualling programme.”
