§ Mr. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the impact of the changes in design to the proposed bridge to Skye upon(a) the likely construction costs involved, (b) the proposed timetable for the submission of plans and (c) the level of toll charge to be levied; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 9 July 1990]: In my announcement on 3 July I said that the welcome reduction of 6 m in the required navigational clearance for a bridge to Skye removed the need for either major embankments or a viaduct over Eilean Ban or Eilean Dubh, which previously caused concern regarding visual impact.
The exact changes in construction costs have not been assessed; but it is expected that they will be reduced. The timetable is unlikely to be affected. The levels of toll charges will form part of each tenderer's bid and the exact 175W amounts are therefore unknown as yet; however, the toll charges will be no greater than current ferry fares in real terms and must allow for existing concessions to users.