3. Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding the high-speed rail link. (S3O-10246)
The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):
There have been a number of discussions on that matter with the UK Government at ministerial and official levels, during which my officials and I have pressed Scotland's case for inclusion in a UK high-speed rail network.
Gil Paterson: Minister, in your discussions with the UK Government, will you remind its officials that, as part of the campaign for the Eurotunnel, Scotland was promised a direct link to Europe, which we are still waiting for? Can we learn from that experience and, when it comes to the high-speed rail link, insist that Scotland not be cheated and forgotten by London once again?
Stewart Stevenson: It was deeply disappointing that the rolling stock that was acquired at the time of the Eurotunnel to operate services from Scotland and other points north of London was never deployed and, indeed, was disposed of without ever being used for that purpose. We should learn lessons from that. However, I believe that the lesson is twofold: first, we must keep up the pressure and continue to make the case; and secondly—and more serious—we do not have to trust anything that we are told from the south.
.
About Stewart Stevenson
Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - Bell Baxter - and studied Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a modest degree in 1969. That's also the year Sandra & I married. Her family comes from the North East.Thirty years later I retired from Bank of Scotland as Director of Technology Innovation and was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2001 as member for Banff & Buchan having first joined the SNP in 1961.
I then represented the new constituency of Banffshire & Buchan Coast Constituency in our Parliament. I retired as an MSP on 5th May 2021
I was also previously (2007-2010), Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change and (2011-2012), Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
I hold the honorary posts of President of the Scottish Association for Public Transport
and Vice-President of Railfuture UK.I am a Fellow of The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a Member at The Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Professional Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a Member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists and an Associate Member of the Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association.
Scottish National Party Links
Stewart Stevenson
does not gather, use or
retain any cookie data.
However Google who publish for us, may do.
