Chamber and committees

Motorists have had enough of this Government. After frequently being egged on by Green members to penalise motorists, ministers should focus on delivering the long-overdue upgrades to vital routes. I have not driven on French roads recently, but I doubt that they are as pothole-ridden as ours. [Interruption.]

That is a victory for common sense. From the start, the Scottish Conservatives campaigned against these unevidenced proposals and, unlike the Scottish National Party Government, we were on the side of most Scots, who did not want a change to the national speed limit.

Although it is good that, as outlined in the cabinet secretary’s response, work will continue to raise the speed limit for HGVs, will she now guarantee that plans to reduce the speed limit to 50mph for cars and other vehicles will be permanently shelved? Will she ensure that she will not seek to punish motorists with any other damaging policies?

We are desperate for the A9, the A75, the A77, the A96 and the A90 to be dualled. Instead, we have had this daft proposal, along with other anti-car ideas that are in the pipeline, such as local authority congestion charges, punitive low-emission zones and the extrapolation of controlled parking zones, as well as roads that continue to deteriorate. Although I welcome the move to drop this foolish idea to reduce the speed limit to 50mph, can the cabinet secretary guarantee that she will finally end—for good—the war on our motorists?

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has decided not to take forward changes in relation to national speed limits on single carriageways. (S6T-02809)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the CalMac vessels being constructed in Turkey are delivered on schedule and on budget. (S6O-05283)

Last week, it was announced that the MV Isle of Islay is going to be delayed. Considering that that is the first of our four vessels that are being built in Turkey, will the cabinet secretary say, in detail, what actions she is undertaking to ensure that the remaining three vessels will be delivered on schedule? How is she working with CMAL to ensure that the vessels can enter service more quickly and that they will not require immediate repairs on their arrival in Scotland?

[Interruption.] Sorry—I am phoning someone by mistake.

Scotland’s road network is the backbone of our connectivity and economic growth. Communities across Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands, rely on safe, efficient and modern roads to access jobs, education, healthcare and life opportunities, yet Scotland’s roads have been neglected by the Scottish National Party. Dangerous and deteriorating roads are costing lives, damaging local economies and leaving motorists stuck with long, unsafe journeys on roads that should have been fixed years ago.

Motorists are essential to Scotland’s economy and crucial for our connectivity, but they are being punished by the SNP Government. Too often, promises are made and not delivered. The SNP will dual the A9 10 years late at the very earliest. It has failed to dual any of the A96, despite promising to do so in 2011. The SNP has also spent £30 million on the Inverness to Nairn upgrade despite no construction having begun. If we are serious about unlocking Scotland’s potential, the SNP Government must accelerate the upgrading of key roads such as the A75, the A77 and the A96, and it must finally deliver on its commitment to dual the A9, without rejecting the private investment that could help to make that happen.

The state of key roads across Scotland is a national disgrace, and the SNP’s incompetence is continuing to cost lives. SNP ministers have sat on their hands while roads have fallen into a state of total disrepair, despite repeated promises to dual roads such as the A9 and the A96. It is unacceptable that motorists are being treated with contempt by an SNP Government that, shamefully, keeps kicking the can down the road.

We are the only party at Holyrood to have proposed bold action to tackle this issue. We would pass an emergency law at Holyrood that would set out a special fast-track process for completing the A9 dualling project. We would also pass an emergency law that would see key sections of the A75 dualled by 2031 and the entire road dualled as quickly as possible thereafter.

No one objects to the plans for the A9. Everyone is desperate for that road to be dualled—yet here we are.

Improved connectivity is not only about tarmac and lanes; it is about ensuring that those who use our roads—particularly those in the logistics sector, which I will focus on—have the infrastructure that they need to operate safely and efficiently.

Scotland’s haulage industry is vital to our economy. The logistics sector contributes £170 billion to the United Kingdom’s economy each year, and it is one of the UK’s largest employers, with more than 200,000 people employed in logistics roles in Scotland. However, its contribution to growth and the economy is unfortunately not always recognised, and drivers’ health, safety and wellbeing are not prioritised.

Scotland faces a shortage of safe, high-quality, secure and well-equipped rest stops for trucks, particularly in the Highlands and rural areas, which, although geographically remote, play a vital role in the logistics and supply chain network. The lack of secure and well-equipped facilities has serious consequences, including the fact that some of our heavy goods vehicle drivers are being forced to park in unsuitable or unsafe locations or to take long detours to find suitable facilities because they have to stop to rest—that is the law. Driver health and wellbeing suffer due to poor access to clean, safe hygiene facilities, healthy food and rest areas. The rate of freight crime is also rising, with lorries and cargo increasingly being targeted by organised criminals due to the absence of secure parking.

By investing in safe facilities along our major routes, we can support the wellbeing of drivers, improve road safety and strengthen the supply chains that keep Scotland moving. That practical step would make a real difference to businesses and communities alike, and it is long overdue. I was about to say that it is common sense, but Jamie Hepburn is no longer in the chamber.

Finally, we must look to the future. The UK Labour Government’s proposal for a pay-per-mile tax on electric and hybrid vehicles is of concern to me, because it risks undermining the transition to cleaner transport and penalising families and businesses who are trying to do the right thing. Labour has got that really wrong. I am glad to see in the Scottish National Party amendment that the cabinet secretary shares our concern about that.

Before I discuss how Labour’s plans to introduce a 3p per mile fee on EVs will cripple rural EV drivers even further, I will consider those who have taken that leap of faith with the public charging network in the state that it is currently in. I would like Scottish ministers to focus on future proofing our EV charging network and ensuring that drivers can travel across Scotland with confidence. A charging infrastructure must be put in place if more people are to start using EVs. The current infrastructure is patchy and unreliable, and it fails to keep pace with demand.

If Ms Hyslop does not mind, I have quite a bit to say. If I have time, I will bring her in.

Motorists cannot be expected to make the shift to EVs without having confidence that charging will be accessible, affordable and convenient. I am an EV user and I had charging anxiety, which was the biggest barrier to my making the decision to get the car. That is still the case for so many people, especially those who do not have home charging and who rely on the public charging network.

Those who charge at public charge points have no idea what they are going to be charged per kilowatt, because it is dependent on so many things, including the speed of the charger and who owns the charger. That is if they can even find the rate of the kilowatt listed somewhere in the small print when they are sent to a website. They might not have a network signal to connect to the internet. They also will not know whether the charger even works. EV charging is a lottery, and we all know that those who play the lottery rarely come out on top. Reliable charging points along key roads will encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.

For far too long, our economy has suffered because the road network is not up to the standard that our cities and key routes need. The A9 to Inverness remains a killer because of the long single carriageway stretches, and dualling is decades behind schedule. I want the upgrade of the A77 and A75 to Stranraer to be put front and centre.

Road upgrades are not a luxury—they are central to our economic and social development. I want Scotland to thrive, and I think that we must put connectivity at the heart of our priorities. Although I am pleased that the SNP shares my concerns about EV issues and agrees that the roads need to be upgraded and maintained, I do not get the sense that it understands the urgency for that, or that our communities are crying out for help right now.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the importance of Scotland’s road network to delivering enhanced connectivity and economic growth across Scotland; urges the Scottish Government to accelerate the upgrading and dualling of key roads such as the A75, A77 and A96, and to adhere to its promise to dual the A9 by 2035 or earlier and to ensure that this project is finally completed by not rejecting private funding; believes that improved connections across Scotland can be enhanced through the provision of more safe and secure rest stops, particularly for the logistics sector; rejects the UK Labour administration’s planned imposition of a pay-per-mile tax for electric and hybrid vehicles, and urges the Scottish Ministers to undertake greater efforts to futureproof the EV charging network across Scotland’s key roads, and urges the Scottish Government to commit to ensuring that the upgrading of Scotland’s roads remains central to future economic and social development.

In exchanges in the chamber last week, we discussed an initiative whereby City of Edinburgh Council is looking to deploy mobile closed-circuit television cameras in hotspots. Does the minister agree that that approach might be ramped up and brought out nationally?