Question reference: S6W-05614
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 13 January 2022
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Current status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, when "option selection" is scheduled to conclude in relation to the "rail improvement project"; what the current status is of the Laurencekirk Junction Improvement Scheme, and when the "statutory authorisation stage" is expected to conclude, in light of it having been subject to a "push forward"; what the nature of that "push forward" has been; whether the delivery of "full fibre connectivity to a number of public sector sites across the city of Aberdeen", which was "expected to complete later this year [in 2021]", has completed; by what date the Full Fibre Project in Aberdeenshire, which was "expected to complete next year [in 2022]", is currently expected to complete, and whether it will provide an update on whether, to date, any "eligible housing infrastructure projects have been submitted as part of the £20 million indicative allocation referred to in the 2016 agreement".
Answer
These projects are all being funded from the Scottish Government’s £254 million investment in the North East, which is in addition to the £125 million committed to the Aberdeen City Region Deal in 2016.
Option selection for rail improvements, towards which £200 million has been allocated, is scheduled for completion by the end of March 2022.
Following the publication of Draft Orders, Transport Scotland is currently dealing with objections to the Laurencekirk junction, towards which £24 million has been allocated.
Digital projects, towards which £10 million has been allocated, are progressing as expected. The City Network Extension project, connecting 57 Aberdeen City corporate sites to full fibre was completed in November 2021. The full fibre project in Aberdeenshire is due to be completed by the end of March 2022.
To date, no eligible projects have been submitted for housing infrastructure projects, towards which £20 million has been allocated. Scottish Government officials have been in discussions with officials from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils to identify suitable projects following the launch of the Housing Infrastructure Fund (Round 2) in October 2021.