Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route
8. Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding mechanism it will use for construction of the Aberdeen western peripheral route. (S3O-6711)
The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):
The funding mechanism for the Aberdeen western peripheral route has still to be determined.
Richard Baker: We have been waiting for two years to hear what the funding mechanism will be. Contributions will be required from both local authorities at this time of frugility—to use the words of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. If the decision is to be made after the receipt of the planning inquiry report, how long after that will it be? Does the minister have an early view of the likelihood of the route being funded through the Scottish distant futures trust?
Stewart Stevenson: The member is perfectly correct to point to the planning system as being the next step in the progress of this project, which is of great importance to the north-east of Scotland. I note that the fact that the public-private partnership/private finance initiative approach to raising funds for projects has been discredited means that 100 projects in England are stalled because of an inability to raise funds.
The member can be absolutely assured that we are fully engaged in this subject. We are not taking the planning process for granted; we will have to consider to the outcome of the planning process. However, I should note that the reduction in the cost of steel and cement and the increased competition in the market means that there is every opportunity to get the best possible deal for the public purse on this project and many others. We are working to deliver that.
