On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I raise a point of order under rule 13.5.2 of the standing orders with reference to written answer S2W-15620, in which Nicol Stephen indicated that he will ignore the rejection of the M74 extension by a public inquiry, which concluded that the proposal will damage the environment, undermine community cohesion, fail to meet the area's transport needs and offer no long-term economic benefit to speak of. Is it acceptable for a minister to make such an announcement by means of a written answer, indicating flagrant disregard for accountability, the Executive's own planning system and the people of Glasgow?
I am grateful to Mr Harvie for advance notice of that point of order. All that I can say at this point is that, having looked into the matter, I am satisfied that the way in which the announcement was made has not broken the rules in any way.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Is it in your gift to give us guidance on whether that announcement opens the Executive, and indeed the Parliament, to judicial review, given that the Executive is ignoring the independent inquiry's result? Will it commit the Executive and the Parliament to expenditure over and above the expenditure that has already been wastefully committed to?
I would have thought that that was a legal matter for the Executive. It is not something on which I can rule at this point in time.
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