Chamber and committees

You said that you were looking at the service. How far down the line are you on that, and how deeply are you reviewing the service with the aim of changing it?

I wonder whether we should write to the Scottish Government. It will be running a health awareness messaging campaign on social media later this year, and given the fact that Covid has been brought into the matter, perhaps it can be put into that social media campaign.

I think that Jackie Baillie wants to say something.

I have been caught in diversions several times, especially when going to the Harley-Davidson rally. I have had to wait for six hours. In some communities, people would not travel if they had to wait a lengthy time in diversions, especially to places such as Aviemore for skiing, given that that there are alternative ski resorts in the area, off the A9. A long delay—

I put on record that I am somebody who knows the A9 well and has been to the Moy fair for the past 25 years—Fergus will probably testify to seeing me there.

Your first option, which is the quickest way to do it, is to break the road down into three sections. How much would that disrupt the tourism industry? Would it cut it off for a long time in the area?

Just to put on record, those communities around there and a lot of the holiday towns—Aviemore and such places—would be devastated, would they not?

If someone has road tax for their vehicle, whether or not it is a camper van, they are allowed to park it anywhere, as long as it is not causing an obstruction to a road or driveway. Therefore, under rule 15.7 of standing orders, I am happy to close the petition—

Convener, I am quite happy to close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders—[Laughter.]—if any other committee members wish to back me.

I know that it is to do with contracts, but how difficult is it to get the workforce there and get accommodation for it? From speaking to people who stay in the area in which I am, I know that winter rates are cheap and that the communities rely on tourists in the summer. Therefore, workers were moved off the A9 and away and found it very difficult to get accommodation—they were having to travel. Having to travel huge distances to get to those sections is not an attractive prospect for anybody who is employed in that industry.

Yes.