§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) fatal and (b) serious road traffic accidents have occurred on the A98 Fochabers-Buckie road in each of the last five years including 1989 to the latest available date.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe numbers of fatal and serious accidents requested for the Fochabers to Buckie stretches of the A98 are as follows:
A98 Fochabers to Buckie Fatal Serious 1985 2 1 1986 0 3 1987 0 2 1988 0 3 1989 (to June) 1 2 I understand there has been a further fatal accident in October this year but the Scottish Development Department has yet to receive formal notification of it.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many SDD funded road improvement schemes have been completed on the Fochaber-Buckie stretch of the A98 in each of the last five years; how many proposals for SDD funded improvement schemes on that route are currently under consideration; and if he will give the costs involved in each instance.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThere has been one improvement carried out in the last five years. This was at Tulloch Farm corner and was undertaken during the financial year 1988–89 at a cost of £108,000. Three further improvement schemes are planned for this section and will be started after completion of the statutory procedures and when available resources and other priorities permit. These are Portgordon crossroads, Arradoul to Barrhill road and Swiss Cottage corner and are estimated to cost £122,000, £238,000 and £650,000 respectively.