§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library copies of all the technical working papers commissioned and received in preparation for the recently published consultation document on primary road routes south of Edinburgh.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIt is not our practice to place copies of detailed technical reports on road studies in the Library. I have lodged copies of the consultation document in the Library, however, and I will arrange to append to them a series of short technical papers which provide further details on specific aspects of the study.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in theOfficial Report the terms of reference used to instruct those preparing the recently published consultation document on primary road routes south of Edinburgh, listing any outside independent experts or professionals involved in the exercise.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe brief for the study which led to the consultation document was:246W
To assess the effectiveness of the existing trunk road network in meeting the national and local objectives as regards current and future traffic demands between Edinburgh and its environs and the South, including in particular the motorway and trunk road network in England and Wales, and as regards strategic road links to and from the Borders Region.To evaluate the alternative route options including, as necessary, roads which are not at present trunk roads.To recommend a future route strategy".Consulting civil engineers Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and Partners were appointed to undertake the study and the market research team of the M VA Consultancy were employed to carry out a series of interviews with road users.