LibDems under fire over roads investment

Figures obtained by SNP Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson from a Parliamentary Question expose further LibDem hypocrisy on Highland roads as it as revealed that the spending allocated to fund trunk roads in the council area has reached record highs under the SNP and was the lowest during the four year period when a LibDem Transport Minister was in control.

According to the figures £41.7 million is to be spent on trunk roads in the Highlands under an SNP Government (2007-11). This dwarfs the £8.8 million that was spent during the tenures of Nicol Stephen and Tavish Scott when they were Transport Ministers (2003-2007). In what is a further embarrassment for the LibDems this figure is also dwarfed by what was spent under the tenure of the previous Labour Transport Ministers - £20.8 million between 1999 to 2003.

Mr Thompson said the figures further expose the LibDems’ hypocrisy on Highland roads and show what would happen under to investment in Highland roads under the LibDems.

Mr Thompson said:

"These figures finally expose the recent LibDem hypocrisy we have seen over investment in Highland roads. They show that it is the SNP which is investing in Highland roads whilst it was the LibDems who brought delays and dithering with their paltry investment.

“They are also an embarrassment for the LibDem leader Nick Clegg whose call for honesty in policy has been undermined by the actions of his very own chief-of-staff Danny Alexander. He has been being entirely dishonest and hypocritical with the Highland public. He is making demands that his party has no intention of delivering – in fact, as these figures reflect, they will cut funding for Highland roads.

"In the eight years in power with Labour, the London LibDems delivered little in terms of major road project and these figures expose their current hypocrisy. What was announced was subject to delay, dither and incompetence under two LibDem Transport Ministers!

"In contrast it is the SNP which is bringing forward an unprecedented number of plans to improve road transport across Scotland and in the Highlands.

"Danny Alexander has to answer why he is ignoring his boss and being dishonest with the Highland public about his party’s plans for road investment and why his party has the poorest record of investment in Highland roads.”

Notes.

1. Mr Thompson’s Parliamentary Question and Answer are as follows:

S3W-24816 - Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) (Date Lodged Friday, June 12, 2009): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent, expressed in today’s prices, on trunk roads in the Highland local authority area from (a) 1999-00 to 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04 to 2006-07; how much has been spent and is planned to be spent between 2007-08 and 2010-11, and how much is planned to be spent in each year from 2012 for which information is available.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, June 25, 2009): Total expenditure on major trunk road projects in the Highland local authority area is as follows:

1999-2000 to 2002-03: £20.872 million
2003-04 to 2006-07: £8.850 million
2007-08 to 2010-11: £41.754 million

The current three year budget settlement does not extend beyond 2010-11.

2. From 2007 the transport portfolio has been held by an SNP Minister

In the 2003-07 Parliament the transport portfolio was held by two Liberal Democrats - Nicol Stephen followed by Tavish Scott.

In the first Parliament (1999-2003) the transport portfolio was held by a number of Labour MSPs.