I always think that it is difficult to justify payments for doing nothing, and I think that the public find that difficult, too.

The next questions are from the deputy convener, Fiona Hyslop.

Stuart Haszeldine, you made a comment that I could let slip by about the Beauly to Denny power line and the time that it took. Could it have been speeded up if we had thought about undergrounding it? I will declare that I was involved in it from an environmental point of view.

Most of the upgraded power lines will follow the best route, which is where the 132kVs are. Those will not be dismantled until the next ones are put up, but the companies will want to keep the old ones up as well. A solution is to underground them. That is just an observation.

I am sorry to come in just as you are moving on to your next question—I do not like to stop you mid-flow—but Collette Stevenson is quite keen to come in on one of the points that has been raised. I am happy to bring her in and then I will come straight back to you.

One of the confusions for people who drive up the A9 is that trial speed limits of 50mph for lorries are still marked up. Because they have been there for so long, they are no longer trials. Would it not be better to sign those speed limits properly, so that cars do not feel that they have to stick to the 50mph limit, which causes further problems?

On a point of order, Presiding Officer.

On 16 March, the Deputy First Minister announced yet another delay, of an additional six months, to vessels 801 and 802. He said that the ferries would be “handed over” to CalMac Ferries in autumn 2023 and autumn 2024. He chose his words carefully—because, of course, “handed over” does not mean that the ferries will be operational. When I pressed him on that specific point, he said that he was unable to answer, leaving CalMac to confirm that the vessels would not be operational for a further two to three months.

Presiding Officer, you have said that, as a matter of respect to one another, members should answer questions truthfully. It is clear that, by refusing to answer my question, the Deputy First Minster was hiding the fact that he knew that the ferries would not be operational for another two to three months after the dates that he had given. I seek your advice on how a member can get honest and full answers when it is clear that some ministers do not show members the respect that you have asked them to show.

Surely one of the ways in which the Government can ensure the prioritising of funding and ensure that everyone understands its approach to getting the job done quickly is by having compulsory purchase orders along the whole route. There is a limited timescale, and it would focus everyone’s mind on getting the job done if the Government stuck to that timescale.

I welcome Fergus Ewing being on the back benches and giving speeches such as that one about things that are important in the constituency and region that we represent. The only problem is that, in speaking so eloquently now—where he did not speak before—he steals all the thunder of the members who follow him.

It would be fair to say that most people in the Highlands have, on their walls or in their brains, what was said in the SNP’s 2007 manifesto, which was that the Government would

“publish a 10-year plan to transform Scottish road safety. The case put forward by organisations including the AA motoring trust proves that a range of measures—including dualling of key roads, such as the A9—would contribute to fewer lives being lost.”

Imagine if that had been done in 2007 or in the years after. Imagine the lives that would have been saved. Imagine the Highlanders and other people using the road who would not be attending the funerals of friends and colleagues killed on it. It is a truly startling fact, and it is something that we should bear in mind constantly when we talk about the project.

The project has been shovel ready for years, but it has been abandoned by the Scottish Government and kicked into the long grass. Sixteen years on from that manifesto promise and 11 years after the policy commitment, only 11 miles between Inverness and Perth have been dualled. That means that just 11 of 80 miles of upgrade has been completed, or two sections out of 11.

The Kincraig to Dalraddy bit that was done was delivered late. It was opened and, as those of us who travel the road constantly will remember, it was then promptly closed. It was opened to meet a deadline, closed to rectify the defects and then reopened. We need to do better than that.

I agree with Mr Ewing on the point that all the ministers or ex-ministers who are standing to be First Minister have had a finger in the pie. Humza Yousaf was minister with responsibility for transport and roads between 2016 and 2018, and Kate Forbes had her finger on the pulse when it came to the finances, but she could not deliver. Ash Regan did not have that, but when the candidates stood up at the Inverness Courier hustings—as referred to by Fergus Ewing—she said:

“In my first 100 days I will set out a new timeframe and get this work moving.”

Humza Yousaf said:

“If I am First Minister the first thing I will do is sit down with my finance secretary who I will appoint and say this is the priority and the budget has to reflect this.”

Kate Forbes insisted that she has been pushing for faster progress and would continue to push for it. The problem is that they all made those promises at the hustings but have all been in a position to deliver the work. We should not forget that.

I echo something that Mr Ewing said about contracting out the work. I have watched the construction of the Aberdeen western peripheral route and the A9 dualling. The Government likes the idea of joint ventures. They might be good and might mean that one person is in charge, but if that person goes bankrupt, we have problems. If that one person is not prepared to pass on the money to all the subbies that are involved in the project, we have a problem. The problem is simply that no one will want to tender for any of the work that the Government has. That complicates the situation.

I hope that, in the next 10 days, the people who stood up at the hustings in Inverness and promised to deliver the dualling of the A9 get on and deliver it. They have not delivered it before and they need to get on and deliver it now because not only have Highlanders run out of patience, but they are running out of time and some people are losing their lives because of the delay.

I want to clarify the word “handover”. The cabinet secretary said that the vessels will be handed over in autumn 2023 and autumn 2024. Does that mean that they will be handed over fully commissioned with enough crew time, enough crew appraisal and approval from class to go straight into service on those dates? Will they go straight into service in the autumn this year and the next year, or does it mean a further four-month delay?

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?