Official Report · Chamber
Portfolio Question Time
This is the draft Official Report. The final version may differ.
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To ask the Scottish Government, given that temporary footbridges over the A9 are often erected at Gleneagles for golf spectators, what consideration it has given to building a permanent footbridge to improve pedestrian access to the railway station for local residents in Auchterarder. (S7O-00492)
The issue has been looked at in detail. Ultimately, it was concluded that safety improvements to the existing at-grade pedestrian crossing were the most appropriate option to take forward, and that has involved the installation of pedestrian warning signs on both approaches.
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Ministers rejected the most recent proposal for a temporary bridge on accessibility grounds, so will the cabinet secretary publish the cost of a fully accessible permanent crossing, considering what has been spent on temporary bridges? Will he visit Auchterarder and walk the crossing with residents? I will maybe wave to him from the other side.
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Another invite! I do love Auchterarder—the chippy there is a favourite of mine.
It is an important point. I outlined in my initial answer that options have been looked at, and it was considered that the improvements that have been taken forward were the best course of action.
It would be remiss of me not to say quite gently to Ms McDade that she comes to this chamber as a member of a party that repeatedly calls for us to reduce the money that is available to Government to spend while, at the same time, asking me to spend more money. That is simply irresponsible and it is not compatible with the good governance that we will take forward through the budget process.
That concludes portfolio questions on economy, tourism and transport. We will have a brief 30-second interlude to enable a changeover on the front benches before we move to the next item of business.
The type of each item (debate, statement, questions, members’ business and so on) and the times shown are worked out by this site from headings, the chair’s opening words and the Official Report’s running timestamps. They are not the Parliament’s own classification. Text: the Scottish Parliament Official Report.