Mallaig Road
The final item today is motion S1M-140 in the name of Fergus Ewing, on the upgrading of the Mallaig road. The debate will be concluded after 30 minutes without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament calls upon the Scottish Executive to make the planned upgrading and improvement of the remaining single track sections of the A830 road between Mallaig and Fort William a top priority when it announces the results of the strategic roads review.
I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important issue in the chamber today. The Mallaig road—the A830 from Fort William to Mallaig—is unique in Scotland. It is the only single-track trunk route in the whole of Scotland and, I believe, the whole of the UK. It is appropriate that this first debate involving a trunk road should concern the only single-track trunk road.
Members' debates give us the opportunity to raise matters of important constituency interest. We are restricted to two of those debates per member per year and one must therefore choose carefully which subjects to raise. I had no hesitation in deciding that this was the most pressing constituency issue to raise, and I am pleased to see present members of all the other parties. I hope that they will all have a chance to contribute. I will try to keep my remarks to a length that will enable that.
The Fort William to Mallaig road stretches for 57 miles. It is the only access to Mallaig—and also to Morar and Arisaig, which are sometimes forgotten. Mallaig is a designated fishing port and, in terms of the value of fish landed, the sixth largest in Scotland, a fact that is not widely known. In 1997, the value of fish landed—largely shellfish—was £17 million or £18 million. I understand from Andy Race, a fish processor, and Jackie Milligan, a haulier, that in one 24-hour period this summer, no fewer than 60 articulated lorries used the Mallaig road. I see that the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs, John Home Robertson, is here today. His visit to Mallaig during the summer was welcome, and I know that other ministers have visited Mallaig and are aware of the problem.
It is a statement of the obvious, but on a single- track road, drivers must stop to give way to oncoming traffic. It is not just twice as difficult to drive on a single-track road as on a normal road with two lanes; it involves tenacity and driving skill that are not required on any other roads. I
understand from Hugh Allan of the Mallaig and North-West Fisheries Association that there was not a day last summer when there was not an accident of some kind on that road.
The cost of using the road for motorists and hauliers is substantially in excess of that of driving on other roads because of the time spent in low gear, which leads to higher petrol consumption and—according to Mr Milligan—a cost three times higher for tyres and spare parts.
The road is known as the road to the isles. It is not so long ago that the Highland clearances took place, so there is a lingering memory of what happened in the past that holds a hint of interest for tourists. There is also the romantic ferry crossing. The ferry's capacity to carry coaches has increased recently, and there has been a massive increase in the number of coaches using the road. Also, 60 to 80 cars come off the Armadale ferry at a time.
I pay tribute to the people in Mallaig—to Councillor Charlie King, to Robert MacMillan of the harbour authority, to Andrew Simpson of the chamber of commerce, and to Alistair Gillies of the community council. Other members know those people and how hard they have fought their campaign in a totally united and non-political way.
I also pay tribute to the efforts of Lord Russell- Johnston and of David Stewart MP who have, for their part, lobbied hard on the campaign. It is a campaign that is not years but decades old, and it now deserves to be recognised through an announcement in the strategic roads review that both remaining single-track sections will be upgraded.
The two remaining sections are known as the Arisaig bypass and the Arisaig to Loch Nan Uamh section. I understand from parliamentary answers from the Minister for Transport and the Environment, Sarah Boyack, that both sections would cost around £9 million to upgrade.
So that other members can speak in the debate, I have kept my remarks relatively brief. They have lasted perhaps five or six minutes—I think that that is a new record for members' business.
I urge the minister, with his new and onerous responsibilities, to include the case of the Mallaig to Fort William road in the programme to improve the roads of Scotland. It is a compelling and overwhelming case; I believe that it is also unique.
There have been six requests to speak. If members keep their remarks to under three minutes, they will all get in.
Would it be possible for Rhoda Grant to speak before me, as our speeches complement one another?
Very well.
I thank Fergus Ewing for introducing the debate. I am pleased to support his motion.
This is not a recent concern, as Fergus Ewing said. Lord Russell-Johnston mentioned the subject in his maiden speech to the House of Commons in 1964, and David Stewart has campaigned tirelessly for improvements to the road. He took two ministers to see the road for themselves and I am also pleased to say that Sarah Boyack took the time to go and see it for herself during the summer.
The community has fought hard to have the road improved. It set up the Mallaig road action group and sought to use reason and persuasion to help its cause. It has spent a huge amount of time and resources promoting the need for improvement, and as time elapses, patience is beginning to run out.
As Fergus said, the case is special because the road is the only single-track trunk road in Scotland. Those in the local community are not asking for a motorway or even for a dual carriageway—they just want a double-track road.
The stretch of road is only 12 miles long. The part from Morar to Arisaig requires only funding as planning considerations have already been met. The second stretch is currently being examined under the route action plan, but it is important that both sections are completed. Improvements have already been carried out on a piecemeal basis, but they must be completed now.
I represent the Highlands and Islands, and I am aware of the problems with roads and of the dependency of rural areas on roads. Although I welcome the improvements that will be made to public transport through the rural transport fund, I understand that, because of sparsity in the Highlands and Islands, it is difficult to move dependency away from road transport where there is no practical alternative.
Mallaig is a major fishing port, as Fergus said, and I welcome the large investments in the harbour that have been made through objective 1 funding. The harbour has been developed to support increased fish landings. However, Mallaig remains the only port in the country where one suffers sea sickness on the way to the sea. The problems are twofold.
First, because of the improvements, larger boats are landing at Mallaig: up to 500 tonnes of fish per boat can be landed there. Such a catch requires
31 articulated lorries to transport it. If it is taken into account that up to three boats could land in a night, that could lead to up to 93 articulated lorries using the road in one night. Imagine the problems that that would cause during the tourist season.
Secondly, there are community safety implications. If any of those lorries go off the road, they block the only access to Mallaig for long periods. Emergency services are unable to enter or leave Mallaig.
Mallaig also has strong ties with the western isles, through ferry links to Skye, Barra and the smaller isles. To assist tourism and fishing, we must improve the road. I know that we do not have a never-ending supply of money for roads, but we must meet that challenge. I ask the Scottish Executive, local government, transport providers and local industries to join in partnership to find a way of funding those much-needed improvements.
I call Jamie Stone, to be followed by Jamie McGrigor.
I shall let Tavish speak first, as he is our party's spokesman. Can I do that?
Very well. What a familiar debate. Tavish Scott, on you go.
I am grateful to Mr Stone for pointing out so quickly that it is my turn.
I congratulate Fergus on securing today's debate. I am also grateful to him for clarifying two points. The first is that we each get only two members' debates a year—a fact of which I was unaware. It will be difficult to think of a subject for my second one, and Duncan Hamilton will probably have the same problem. Fergus's second point was that he intended to keep his remarks short. I am conscious that some of us, when taking an opportunity such as this, tend to waffle on for longer than we might otherwise.
Hear, hear.
Thank you.
Highlands and Islands issues generally play a significant role in this chamber, and it is important that ministers are here to respond to the points that are raised. To some extent, that allays many people's fears that issues that are important in our part of the world will not get a full and proper airing in a Parliament in the centre of Edinburgh.
As my constituency is dependent on fisheries, I want to follow Fergus's lead in speaking of fishing ports and his use of statistics in showing the importance of those ports. That is the key argument in justifying the need for the changes that he is seeking to make as a constituency MSP.
I understand, from figures that I pursued today, that Mallaig is the second most important port in the UK for landings of prawns and shellfish, of which it handles nearly £11 million-worth annually. Mallaig is important in a European context, as it handles 13 per cent of the European prawn catch and it is a major supplier to European markets. It goes without saying, therefore, that the links that companies and individuals can make with the European markets is an essential part of running successful businesses on the periphery of the European Union. We need to invest in the transport links, as they are hugely important. That is especially so in the context of fisheries.
There are many roads throughout Scotland about which community groups can make strong cases for investment and infrastructure improvements. Having talked to colleagues and having seen it with my own eyes, I suggest that the strong case that Fergus Ewing is putting to the Parliament today is such an example.
I saw Malcolm Chisholm. John Munro was telling me earlier that, when he was the convener of Highland Council's transport committee, Malcolm Chisholm—who was sitting at the back of the chamber a minute or two ago—was, as the Scottish Office transport minister, taken down the road in a 40 ft refrigerated articulated lorry. The council had stitched it up to arrange for bottlenecks all the way down, so that he saw the traffic problems at their worst.
Perhaps we should arrange that sort of subtle investigation for Mr Morrison, so that he can truly appreciate the situation. I support Fergus Ewing's motion and I hope that the minister, in summing up, can give him some comfort.
I now call Jamie McGrigor—unless, of course, Mary Scanlon is going to appear on your behalf.
Thank you, Mr Reid. It is a coincidence that this debate on the Mallaig road should arise now, as I was on that road just the other day, stuck behind a huge fish lorry on one of the single-track sections. I think that the driver was probably Spanish—the lorry certainly was—as he took no notice of, or perhaps could not understand, the sign suggesting that slow vehicles should use the passing places to allow overtaking. Although I was very happy to be among such beautiful scenery, I reflected that, if I had been a tourist trying to catch a ferry to Skye, Barra or Lochboisdale, I would have been a shade irritated if I had missed it because of the lorry. In fact, I was travelling in the
opposite direction, from Mallaig to Fort William. I had started my journey in North Uist, where I had filled up my car with diesel that cost 89p a litre, which made me a shade irritated, too.
The Mallaig road is special. As Fergus said, it is the only single-track trunk road in Scotland, and it is an important artery for the fishing community in the area and to the many tourists who flock to the area each year and whom we in the Highlands want to encourage. Mallaig services many communities—such as the Knoydart peninsula— by boat; as the road is a main road in principle, it should be upgraded to one in practice.
In the summer, tourist cars and buses mix with the heavy commercial traffic of fish lorries, fish farm lorries and timber extraction lorries, and there are many minor bumps and accidents, especially on the single-track sections. Many loads of sheep and cattle also travel the roads to the market in Fort William. The upgrading of that section would significantly lessen the time taken by service vehicles to reach Mallaig, and I have no doubt that Mallaig and the surrounding communities would prosper from improved and speedier access.
On fuel, it is interesting to note that an average car will do about seven miles less per gallon on a single-track road than on ordinary roads. As I keep reiterating, the key to prosperity in the Western Isles and the western Highlands is cheaper fuel and improved access, and the Mallaig road is a classic example of what we are all talking about.
I first visited Mallaig when I was a student, on a yacht trip with other students. We met the captain of the ferry that plied between Mallaig and Skye. He had just cut the cable that took electricity to Skye, and said rather proudly, "It takes a brave man from Mallaig to put the Sgitheanaichs in the shade, but I put them into total darkness."
That is typical of the spirit of the Mallaig people. I will not rehearse the statistics, as they have been declared by all the speakers, but I want to praise the amazing spirit of those people who, with an enormous geographical disadvantage, have yet a thriving, prosperous town. Its middle name should be Enterprise. The inhabitants have managed to achieve their produce statistics despite the road.
Culturally too, they thrive. Mallaig has a wonderful marine exhibition and museum. Those people do not sit back and ask for help; they are helping themselves in the best possible sense of endeavour. During my 24 years representing the Highlands and Islands in Europe, I have been up and down that road hundreds of times. I am disappointed that we did not achieve objective 1 status, which might have speeded up improvements, but I still hope to hear good news from the minister.
I had lots of cousins who lived in Mallaig— they were all railwaymen, so perhaps they would not be pleased that I am talking about road transport—and my grandmother came from Arisaig, so I know the Mallaig road well. Like Dr Ewing, I do not want to go over all the statistics again, but the road should have been upgraded to a double-track road years ago, because it serves one of the country's premier fishing ports and is one of the most popular tourist routes.
I want to broaden the argument. The Mallaig road is only the worst symptom of a severe Highland problem. The Highland roads, both trunk and local, have suffered years of neglect or at best piecemeal development—although I appreciate that sometimes piecemeal work is preferable for environmental reasons. As the arteries of communication and movement of goods in the north and west, these roads are crucial and many are totally inadequate for the kind of modern economy we want in the Highlands.
I am thinking of, for example, the effect of the A9 north of Dornoch on communications with Sutherland and Caithness, and the winding and accident-prone A82 down the side of Loch Ness. Other examples are the roads in Argyll, one of the most difficult counties in terms of internal communication, and the hated A96, the so-called killer road, from Inverness to Aberdeen, which goes through Margaret Ewing's constituency. She may feel that it needs upgrading almost as much as the Mallaig road does.
As for local authority roads, Highland Council statistics show the downward trend over the past 20 years in terms of the money available for spending on road maintenance. That has been a false economy. A particular concern is that many rural roads are no longer adequate for the heavy vehicles moving fish, livestock and timber. The state of the bridges on local roads is particularly serious—I believe that there will be an emergency when the maturing timber crop is extracted, as the bridges will not cope. Bringing the bridges up to standard is crucial and work on them could also be invaluable in providing extra employment in crofting communities.
We must take an overview of Highland infrastructure needs. The Mallaig road is important and needs urgent improvement, but we cannot look at roads in isolation. We must consider the role of an integrated transport system and assess how goods are best and most efficiently moved. I know that the forestry industry, for example, is
looking at both rail and sea initiatives where rural roads are inadequate for heavy loads.
The importance of improving infrastructure in the Highlands and Islands has been recognised in the European Community's consideration of priorities for the use of structural funds. I hope that, whatever the outcome of the strategic roads review, we can draw down money from Government, local government and Europe to make a real difference to the economy of the Highlands by ensuring that we have an infrastructure fit for the 21st century.
The good thing about speaking last in a debate is that my speech is about 10 per cent of what it was. I would like to commend those who substantiated and supported Fergus Ewing's arguments.
Under the Conservatives, 75 per cent of the Mallaig road was upgraded—a £7 million contract upgraded the final section from near Lochailort to Loch nan Uamh, completing that 75 per cent. The remaining objections to the section from Arisaig to Kinsadel, the section that Fergus was talking about, went to a public inquiry in Arisaig on 11 March 1997—about a month before the general election.
Fergus stood three times as a parliamentary candidate for that constituency and I stood twice. At a chamber of commerce public meeting in 1999, the Labour candidate, who was given the title of home affairs spokesman, promised the good people of Mallaig that the A830 upgrading was top of Donald Dewar's priority list.
I have a very brief point, Jamie. I look forward to Alasdair's announcement that it will be top of the list. In a written reply to Murray Tosh, Jack McConnell said that the budget for motorway and trunk road improvements in 1996-97 was £120 million, that this year it was £23 million and that next year it would be £14 million. That is the real commitment to the A830, as opposed to the electoral promises that Fergus and I heard.
Jamie Stone, there is a minute and a half.
Thank you. The good lady will recall that the very heavy cuts in Highland Council's road budget started in the last years of the previous government.
Maureen is correct to say that this is part of a much wider problem for road budgets generally.
We are putting off the evil day when a truly colossal bill will land in our laps. It is hard for the minister because there is only so much cash. The best thing would be to take a look at the overall priorities within Sarah Boyack's budget.
As a good highlander, the deputy minister will not fall for John Farquhar Munro's tricks; if Mr Munro tries to put him in a lorry, he will be able to outsmart him. I think that the important thing is to take a look at the issue because, if we do not, we will reap the whirlwind.
First, I congratulate Fergus Ewing on securing this debate, which addresses a debate that has raged since 1964: thanks for the history lesson, Rhoda. Russell Johnston mentioned the issue in his maiden speech. Sadly, I missed that speech by about five years. Fergus Ewing rightly and graciously commended politicians from all parties for what has been done to progress the debate. Dare I say, governments of all complexions have been lobbied by politicians from the Highlands and Islands.
The mother of the Parliament, Winnie Ewing, did not tell us which year she was in Mallaig, but it was in her student days. We will try to guess when.
It was a long time ago.
I am told it was a long time ago. Again, Dr Ewing rightly paid tribute to the spirit of the people of that area. They have been fighting against extraordinary situations and they have sustained and stimulated their economy in many respects.
Given my responsibility for Highlands and Islands issues, including transport, I am delighted to have this opportunity to respond to the debate. I know that my colleague Sarah Boyack had a useful meeting with Highland Council during her visit to the Highlands last month, and that the A830 was one of the main agenda items. The visit also gave Sarah the opportunity to travel along the A830—I do not know if it was in an articulated lorry, but she did travel along it—and she saw at first hand the conditions on that road. Sarah and I will meet the convener of Highland Council, David Green, next Monday. I have no doubt that he will raise this issue.
I shall aim to respond to the points raised during the debate by saying a little about the role of trunk roads within the integrated transport strategy that the Executive is promoting—a role which is being examined in the current strategic roads review. I shall then describe briefly the review itself, before
commenting on the potential improvements to the remaining single-track sections of the A830.
The partnership for Scotland agreement committed the Executive to the delivery of
"an integrated transport policy which will provide genuine choice to meet transport needs as well as protecting the environment".
That commitment reflects our recognition that past transport policies have been too focused on road transport and have neglected alternative modes. In similar vein, the balance has been allowed to swing too far away from public transport. Past policies have imposed significant environmental, economic and social costs. Our policies aim to promote high-quality public transport and to encourage, where appropriate, the transfer of freight from road to other modes, especially rail. Fergus will be aware of the significance of the freight and facilities grant that was awarded earlier in the year to Safeway, which is transferring its cargo to rail.
The agreement noted:
"We recognise that for many people, particularly in rural areas, there is often no alternative to car use and our transport policy will reflect this reality."
Our approach is neither anti-road nor anti-car. We are looking for transport systems and solutions that are appropriate to the varied needs of different parts of Scotland. Road building, therefore, has a role to play within the integrated transport strategy, but there is a need for all proposals to be carefully scrutinised to ensure that they offer the best transport solution: that is the aim of the strategic roads review.
A major element of the strategic roads review involves the prioritisation of the major improvement schemes—those with a capital cost of more than £3 million—in the trunk road preparation pool that was inherited from the previous Conservative administrations. Seventeen schemes with a total capital cost in excess of £800 million are under review: that includes one scheme on the A830. The review is assessing each of the schemes against the criteria of economy, safety, environmental impact, accessibility and integration. Along with this expensive wish list, the previous Government—bless its soul—also bequeathed a radically reduced trunk road budget. While the comprehensive spending review clawed back some of that ground, the need to address the extensive backlog of repair and maintenance, also inherited from the Conservative Government, means that the resources available for improvement schemes are, inevitably, constrained. I think that everyone appreciates that.
Does the minister disagree with Jack McConnell's figures that in 1997 the roads budget for motorway and trunk road improvement was £120 million, this year it is £23 million and next year it will be £14 million?
I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer given by my colleague Jamie Stone, who rightly pointed out that under the Conservatives the new road building programme was funded by neglecting essential maintenance: that is well documented.
Some difficult decisions on priorities are required. Where does the A830 fit into this? The A830, covering the 45 miles from Fort William to Mallaig, is one of the most remote and lightly trafficked trunk roads in Scotland. Nevertheless, it plays a vital role in the area's transport system, serving local residents—we have heard the well- rehearsed arguments today—a significant and increased number of tourists, especially in the summer months, and businesses in the area, not least hauliers taking fish to markets in the south.
The eastern half of the route, from Fort William to Lochailort, has, for a number of years, offered reasonable driving conditions. Since the 1980s, attention has focused on the 22 miles from Lochailort to Mallaig. At that time, that half of the route was largely single track and followed a tortuous line through some of Scotland's most sensitive countryside. Improvements in the 1980s, going west from Lochailort to the stretch coming out of Mallaig, reduced the single-track element. That process continued with the completion of the Morar bypass in 1993 and the opening of a new stretch of road between Polnish bridge and Loch Nan Uamh last year. Fergus mentioned Loch Nan Uamh—if he needs assistance with the pronunciation, I refer him to the mother of the Parliament. She will be glad to help.
Those schemes have reduced the single-track section to nine miles between Loch Nan Uamh and Kinsadel and two separate proposals to remove the single-track road have been developed. The five miles from Arisaig to Loch Nan Uamh pass through some of the most sensitive landscape along the route. This, combined with the difficulty of identifying another alignment for the route, means that the preferred way of dual tracking the road is through a series of on-line improvements, identified through a route action plan study, which was completed recently. Those improvements could be implemented in a phased manner, as a series of minor improvements outside the scope of the strategic roads review. The total cost, Mr Ewing, is estimated at about £10 million.
Decisions have still to be taken on which minor trunk road improvement schemes should proceed in future years, so the upgrading of the route between Arisaig and Loch Nan Uamh does not yet feature in any forward programme. However, that will be considered alongside competing priorities.
Inevitably, given the pressures across the trunk road network, there will be intense competition for the available resources but, again, I assure those supporting the improvements—and there are many of them—that the consideration will be full and fair.
The other remaining single-track section is the four and a half miles from Arisaig to Kinsadel. That is the subject of a proposed off-line improvement scheme. The scheme has an estimated capital cost of £10 million and so qualifies as a major trunk road scheme. It is, therefore, included in the list of schemes under consideration in the strategic roads review. Sarah Boyack has said that she plans to report to Parliament on the review shortly, so it would be wrong of me to give advance indication of the conclusions.
Will Mr Morrison give way?
The minister must wind up for time reasons.
I assure Mr Ewing that the scheme is being given full and fair consideration in the review and that I will relay to Sarah Boyack the very strong support which has been articulated in the chamber today.
I should also say that the scheme was considered at a public inquiry in March 1997. Assuming that it clears the hurdle of the review, it should be possible to complete the remaining statutory procedures speedily and move towards construction.
Meeting closed at 17:38.