Chamber and committees

Putting that to one side—

This will be my final question. I do not doubt your determination to deliver the target, but clearly it was infeasible by 2017-18, even under the figures that you have given. Surely that would have been the time to tell people across the Highlands that it was not going to be delivered. I think that there will be very few people in the Highlands who, since then, have not seen or do not know somebody killed as a result of the road. I think that we—or, I should say, you—have been dishonest in that the target was not deliverable by the date that your Government promised on 6 December 2011.

Thank you.

Okay. If we use the figure that you used earlier—which was, interestingly, the same figure that I came up with—the estimate was that it would be a six-year project to build it. From my experience of compulsory purchase orders and how they actually work, they can take a minimum of three years to get through, by the time you have gone through the whole process of issuing notices, getting confirmation from the Government, issuing the orders, speaking to the owners, and a public inquiry, if that is the way it goes. That means that it would take nine years altogether. Therefore, if you were going to be building the A9 by 2025, alarm bells should have been ringing in 2017-18 that the process was not moving along at the necessary pace. Would you agree with that synopsis?

I think that we are going to see that cabinet secretary very shortly. Douglas, do you have any other questions?

Hold on. Excuse me. Until things change, I will be running the committee and I want to keep order and keep things sensible.

I understand members’ frustration, but I suspect that the cabinet secretary is frustrated as well that she cannot give all the answers that she might be in a position to give. Let us not have a go at one other over it. We will be in a much clearer position after the meeting, when I have taken advice. All that I can do at the moment, on the committee’s behalf, is to push people to give us as honest, open and clear answers as they feel that they can give, without compromising their positions. Bear with me, Mr Lumsden. I will take advice after the meeting, because I find myself in a position that I do not understand.

Bob, have my comments answered your question? I hope that they have, but maybe you have another question that you want to ask.

I see that Douglas Lumsden wants to come in. Is it on a point of clarification with regard to the questions that we have just heard, or is it about something from earlier?

I call Douglas Lumsden.

I think that everything will become clearer over the next 48 hours, when we understand what can be allowed. My understanding is that the Scottish Parliament still continues to function and ministers and civil servants will continue to do their jobs. It is announcements that would affect the UK election that cannot be made. Where announcements can be made, I am sure that the Government will push on with that.

Ben Macpherson has some questions.

We now come to Graham Simpson.