Murdo Fraser MSP has asked First Minister John Swinney if he will set up a dedicated committee at Holyrood to ensure that the A9 Perth to Inverness road is fully dualled.
The long-running saga of dualling the road still continues, with the promise now being that the whole stretch of road will be completed by the new target of 2035. Mr Fraser recently raised this issue with the First Minister during a First Ministers Question session at the Scottish Parliament.
This was after concerns had been expressed by the Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee regarding required funding to enable the complete dualling of the project by this date.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: "At the FMQs, I told Mr Swinney that campaigners, such as Laura Hansler, from Kincraig, have been instrumental in keeping this issue in the news. Throughout the period since dualling began on the A9 too many lives have tragically been lost and more will die as a result of any further delays.
"Already there is an expected delay in work due to take place on the Tomatin to Moy stretch of the road. At Parliament, I asked the First Minister if he was confident that the Scottish Government will meet the deadline of completing the dualling by 2035 and also if he agreed with the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee that a dedicated committee should be established to ensure the Scottish Government meets this target.
"It appears we won’t get such a committee but I will keep pressing the Scottish Government on this issue to ensure that the vital dualling of the A9 is completed in full. I know this is what residents across Perthshire, the Highlands and in Scotland dearly want."
