(a) what is the definition of a trunk road and what attributes a road must have to be classified as a trunk road; (b) what trunk road route…

Shaping the Trunk Road Network, a consultation paper published by the then Scottish Office Transport Minister in 1994, identified the following criteria for determining a trunk road:provide the road user with a coherent and continuous system of routes which serve destinations of importance to industry, commerce, agriculture and tourism;define nationally important routes which will be developed in line with strategic national transport demands; andensure that these roads which are of predominantly local importance are managed locally.Neither these criteria nor the network established from 1 April 1996, following the consultation, have been reviewed subsequently. This means that:the M9/A8 route provides the trunk road connection from Edinburgh and the Lothians to the north. There are other trunk road links from this route to areas such as the Western Highlands and the north-east;the trunk road section of the M90/A90 to the north-east starts at the commencement of the motorway to the north of the Forth Road Bridge;the A90 between this point and the Cramond Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge, the Tay Bridge and the A8000 remain part of the local network; andthe Erskine Bridge forms an integral part of the trunk road linking the M8 to the A82 across the Clyde Estuary.As to funding any upgrading of the A8000, I refer to my answer of 10 December to Mrs Margaret Smith (S1W-2528).